Justice League Convergence: DCAU Series Part 17
by Loki's Son
Summary: Powers have been moving events from the shadows. Now the mystery players are moving out into the light. Their plans require the White Rabbit and the Legion of Doom to pave the way for Vandal Savage to ascend to the throne. First Earth and then the Cosmos await…
1. Chapter 1

11 Justice League Convergence

**Disclaimer: I do not own the DCAU and incorporated DCU characters depicted. All such rights, legal and intellectual, belong solely to DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, both of which are wholly owned by Time Warner.**

**This is an instalment in an ongoing series. Reading previous instalments would be beneficial. Storylines have been incorporated from the very first instalment that continue into this present section. For easier digestion I generally resolve major plot themes every 6 Parts or so.**

**I will warn you now, if you only read the first chapter and the last, once this completed, and ask me what happened in between I will only refer you back to reading the entire thing.**

**I have a special messages for unsigned Guests. If you use a review to insult another writer. I will delete you. You want to bag on my work, fine, comes with the territory. But I will not tolerate people using reviews as a forum to attack other people besides myself, especially when they have no recourse available to address the attack. So let's be clear, you have an issue with me...keep it with me. If you have an issue with someone else and want to vent your spleen, take it elsewhere because your moment of glory will only last until I read the review.**

**Whether you're a first time reader or a long term reader, I thank you for checking out my work. If you like it, I'm happy I achieved my goal. If you don't then I guess we'll just have to see if I can entice you the next time around.**

**And an in-universe note. I have taken the canon DCAU and added elements of the DCU while trying to remain true to the DCAU as protrayed. This includes "Batman Beyond". If you have a problem with how Batman's life turned out in the canon episodes, you will hate my material.**

**Also, the DCU material reflects the Pre- and immediately post-Crisis epoch. DCU material between 1992-2012 is ignored due to my ignorance. Some material and developments have been drawn from the New 52 but not much. Since the DCAU seems to have drawn a great deal from that same era, it works out for all involved. **

**And now on to the actual story...**

* * *

The prison transport made its way through traffic as it started to head out of Manhattan to the Interstate to transit to Belle Reeve Prison. Stryker's Island had been adequate to temporarily house the former Suicide Squad members in the weeks following the Atlantean invasion but now cell's in Belle Reeve had been prepared for the inmates. As it was, special precautions had to be taken aboard the bus.

King Shark was shackled, hand and foot, to the floor. Psi wore an inhibitor collar that blocked her psychokinetic powers from working. Shrapnel sat in a box with an eye slit. Meanwhile, El Diablo, Black Spider, Punch and Jewelee looked rather morose as they vacantly stared out the windows while handcuffed.

Three SUVs and a 15 passenger van all marked "United Nations" suddenly passed the bus on one side and came to a screeching halt in its path. The guards were irate. Those in the cage with the prisoners aimed weapons at them while the driver got on the radio with their dispatcher and the remaining two guards went to confront the UN personnel.

Suddenly, the driver screeched out, "Oh my God!"

He threw the bus into reverse and smashed into the vehicle behind him. An arrow shot through the windshield and into the driver's eye. The doors of the bus were ripped apart and Stompa suddenly came aboard. Behind her Gilotina strode towards the cage.

The guards discharged their shotguns at the pair. Stompa took the blasts but to no effect. She wiped buckshot pellets off of her tunic.

"Really?" Stompa asked scornfully, "You meet a real life goddess and this is how you react?"

She kicked the cage door down and then shoulder checked the first guard. He flew into the other and they tumbled down. Gilotina pushed past Stompa and ran each guard through with a sword. She then slashed the cables holding King Shark while Stompa yanked Shrapnel's mini-prison open.

"What about our handcuffs" Punch whined.

"There's no time," Gilotina informed him.

Approaching sirens alerted the former government agents of the reality of that statement. Gilotina led them off of the bus, "Go to the marked vehicles."

CADMUS, and later ARGUS, had liberated the members of Task Force X to serve on dangerous covert missions. Could the UN be doing the same? Punch and Jewelee climbed aboard an SUV to find the Riddler driving.

"Hold on. We'll be making a rapid exit," he warned.

King Shark and Shrapnel found the van emptied of all seats except for a couch in the back. The Calendar Man gave them a similar warning and then proceeded to follow the Riddler. Psi, El Diablo, and Black Spider joined Plastique in a third SUV and she also pulled out.

"Get ready for some noise," Plastique warned them.

* * *

Police cars converged from both directs. Artemiz volleyed arrows into one group. Each time she chose the driver. As a result, the cars would go out of control and smash into other vehicles.

Gilotina faced down three squad cars with officers poised with weapons drawn and bearing on her, "You might want to withdraw."

Stompa burst out of the bus and literally ran over a cop car. She kicked another into the third and then rejoined Gilotina. Gilotina shook her head.

"Show off," she scolded.

The air filled with the noise of sirens. Stompa smiled, "Looks like the fireworks are about to go off."

Gilotina called Artemiz off, "It'll happen any second now."

The third United Nations SUV detonated. The shock wave ripped though the street. Automobiles crumpled and building windows were also smashed. All the police and pedestrians were knocked off of their feet.

Those that could manage were stunned by the sight of the three Female Furies walking through the flames. They calmly opened a boom tube and withdrew. Everyone wondered who the hell had been aboard that bus to warrant such an escape.

* * *

The United Nations vehicles reversed course and headed east until they could enter the crossway that accessed the Brooklyn Bridge. Crossing on the bridge, they went onto the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and only turned when they reached the Flatbush Ave. exit. Travelling down Flatbush Ave. they reached a gated manor house across from Prospect Park. They were now in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush region.

UN guards stood post at the gates. As the vehicles gained access, the newly liberated passengers saw that the UN troops also patrolled the grounds. A large garage was revealed to have a ramp leading to an underground parking facility.

The Riddler took charge of the newcomers. Calendar Man and Plastique went their own ways. Riddler escorted them to a locker facility. They, minus Shrapnel, were shown their individual lockers. Inside, their gear had been gathered. Riddler gave them ten minutes and then someone would be along to collect them.

"What about this frickin' collar?" Psi had to ask.

"And these shackles?" King Shark wondered.

"A specialist will be with you as soon as I'm gone," Riddler smiled and then he departed.

"What the hell have we gotten into?" El Diablo wondered, "This is the Legion of Doom we're talking about."

"Maybe they're recruiting," Punch theorized.

Jewelee backhanded his arm, "Get serious. Even Waller barely wanted us. In the end even she didn't."

"Ahem," Dr. Sivana cleared his throat.

"It's a gnome," Punch joked.

"Say that again and your cuffs will be wedged up an orifice so far they'll never vacate your body," Sivana warned.

"Yes sir," Punch meekly kowtowed.

Sivana got them all freed in minutes. Psi frowned, "What happens now?"

"Now you get dressed and then an associate will lead you to your explanation," Sivana duly informed them. And then he too was gone.

* * *

They were all dressed and ready when the Ultra-Humanite appeared, "Excellent! You're all ready."

"Ready to find out what gives," Psi retorted, "You people want something from us. What is it?"

"I see your time with the government has made you wary. Good. You'll need that," Ultra-Humanite admitted, "Now if you'll follow me?"

Having no real viable options, they did as he asked.

* * *

The former Task Force X agents were brought into a large sitting room. Oversized and reinforced chairs had been provided for Shrapnel and King Shark. A buffet table also dominated a corner. King Shark was delighted to see a chest of raw fish and shrimp was there as well. The others cast curious glances Ultra-Humanite's way.

"Your host has been temporarily detained," he explained, "Please help yourself. The wet bar is hidden in the closet."

The group gathered together food samples. El Diablo proved adept at mixing drinks. Shrapnel tested his chair and found that it held. King Shark lugged the whole chest over to his seat and plopped down to eat.

"Right now, I am so grateful I can't smell anything," Shrapnel admitted.

"Your loss," King Shark replied.

Punch and Jewelee occupied a love seat. Psi took a chair to herself. Black Spider, sans mask, and El Diablo occupied opposite ends of the couch. Then a door leading directly into a den area opened and Luthor emerged. He wore his most pleasant smile.

"I see you're all here," he said in an ingratiating tone.

"Cut the crap," Psi retorted, "What do you want?"

"Your illustrious company, of course," Luthor laid on the charm, "In the Legion of Doom."

"Why now?" Black Spider broke his protracted silence, "You could've recruited us years ago."

"To be frank, I underestimated you," Luthor divulged, "Waller's interest in you caught my own. I was regaled by your after action reports. I saw the value you had as covert operatives."

"Which still means you want something for springing us," Psi got back to business, "What is it?"

"I want you to return the favor," Luthor stated simply, "A large number of our members are currently incarcerated. Membership in the Legion of Doom comes with a guarantee that as long as any member remains free they will liberate their captive comrades."

"So liberate them already," Psi quipped.

"Most of our present company are not physical combatants. They wage battle with their minds," Luthor explained.

"So we're hired guns," El Diablo summarized, "What happens when the others are free?"

"Then you join us and enjoy the fringe benefits of associating with our merry band," Luthor offered.

"There's gotta be more," Jewelee said.

"Like what?" Luthor was amused.

"To be blunt, show us the money," Punch stated.

"Every member of the Legion is guaranteed a one million dollar annual retainer," Luthor divulged, "Any proceeds from criminal activities above and beyond that earn a one million dollar fee for each and every activity. Proceeds from these activities are equally shared amongst participants."

"Speak English," King Shark demanded.

"You're guaranteed a million dollars a year just for membership. Participate in any sanctioned activity and you're guaranteed another million per outing. Each activity earns that base salary. Anything you steal you split amongst your teammates that participated in that mission," Luthor laid it out, "Fair enough?"

"So, we bust your buddies out of the clink and we get a million dollars?" Shrapnel wanted proof.

"Two million. You're forgetting the annual retainer. And that's just the beginning of your personal profits," Luthor declared, "What? You thought we spent time together because we like one another? Hardly. This is a business enterprise. Pure and simple."

"I'm not saying I'll do it, but where are the Legion people being held?" Psi wondered.

"An associate of mine arranged for them to be placed in Blackwater Prison," Luthor announced.

"That's not a supermax!" Black Spider protested, "Who could arrange that?"

"She also arranged for your transfer to occur today. The route, number of guards, and vehicle choice were all carefully determined for our benefit," Luthor revealed.

"Is _she_ also a member of the Legion?" El Diablo inquired.

"No," Luthor stated, "She is an independent operator. She exchanges favors with the Legion. Her means and methods are entirely her own. As are her motives."

"When did the Legion of Doom join the UN?" King Shark suddenly brought up, "I thought the Justice League was their go to operation."

"The times are changing," Luthor wore a cunning smile, "We are being given sanction to kill every member of the Justice League and the United Nations will applaud when we do so."

"What do you say?" Luthor asked.

"Give us a minute," Psi requested.

Luthor and the Ultra-Humanite retreated into the den. Ultra-Humanite asked Luthor, "Will they do it?"

"They've already signed up," Luthor smiled triumphantly; "It may take them a minute or two to acknowledge that fact but they are already in."

"I'll alert Supreme and the Female Furies that they're a 'go'," Ultra-Humanite replied.

There was a knock at the door and Luthor smiled, "You do that. I'm back on."

* * *

The exterior guards at Blackwater Prison didn't even see Supreme come at them. All they knew was that they heard and felt his impact in the prison walls. Guided by a schematic provided by the White Rabbit, he went straight for the spatial disruptor. Smashing the machine, he knew his lovely Lashina was now coming.

* * *

The newest Legionnaires transited through a boom tube for the first time. They walked between the wormhole's energy walls and emerged in the prison yard. The Female Furies immediately went into motion. The newcomers struggled to keep up.

The White Rabbit had sent a wave of attorneys to Blackwater to consult with the Legionnaires incarcerated there. She'd also altered their yard rotation so all of them were present outside of the prison's wall at the same time. That is, with the notable exception of one.

Lashina and the Furies were smashing their way through the prison's interior on a quest for a single cell. That cell housed Bernadeth. Lashina had consulted her Master, Darkseid, and he had bid her to liberate Bernadeth and have her rejoin the Female Furies. This grated on Lashina's nerves but she was utterly loyal to Darkseid so she would comply.

Lashina stood in front of Bernadeth's cell and she smiled coldly, "I have to admit, it does my heart some good to see you reduced to this."

"The Master has commanded you to free me, hasn't he?" Bernadeth wore a smug smile.

"Yes," Lashina said with disgust.

"And has he also made me leader of the Female Furies." Bernadeth couldn't help but rub in.

"No," Lashina said with satisfaction, "I am the leader. You are the mongrel. You will leap at my commands or I will inform Granny that you have been disobedient."

Bernadeth's jaw dropped. Lashina savored this as she continued, "You see, the Master approved of my punishing you. You threatened the safety of your fellow Furies. That will not be tolerated. Granny Goodness will now be observing you in action from now on. The _slightest_ hint of insubordination and you'll do time in the agony booth."

"My brother would never inflict such a horror upon me," Bernadeth haughtily declared.

"Desaad has boasted the he will proudly serve the Master in dispensing any and all punishments to any of the Elite regardless of who they are," Lashina threw that fact in Bernadeth's face, "You have been warned."

Lashina smiled sweetly, "Can you play by the rules from now on?"

"Of course," Bernadeth snapped.

Lashina turned to Speed Queen, "Free her. In fact, free every prisoner."

"That wasn't in our mandate," Bloody Mary reminded her leader.

Lashina grinned, "If the heroes are too busy chasing _them_ down they'll have no time for our trail."

Speed Queen raced to each control booth on each level. Mad Harriet released all of the locks on her floor. Malice Vundabar released her allotted prisoners. And Gilotina did the same on the third.

Supreme joined his lover before Bernadeth's cell, "Come with us, bitch."

"I'm happy to see you too," Bernadeth grumbled.

* * *

The Female Furies reached the yard to discover the Legion had put down the guards. King Shark had torn his way through the assembled guard battalions. Psi had wrenched their weapons out of their hands and used them on their owners. Shrapnel had mounted the roof and "detonated", hurling bits of his metal body at each tower.

Black Spider, El Diablo, Punch and Jewelee had handled crowd control. When the Furies returned, they opened the boom tube. It spirited the Legionnaires a world away to Thailand. There, in a semi-forgotten jungle temple, the Legion of Doom had set up shop.

The technical members of the Legion had spared no expense equipping the temple with the latest hardware and gadgets. The Penguin had procured armaments. Luthor had bribed the locals and the central government to simply look the other way. And so they did.

The jungle foliage created a canopy that blocked observation from satellites. The abundant life and tropical heat obscured infrared thermal readings. It would take a hard target search to stumble upon them. And even then, the intruders would have to deal with the aforementioned jungle, its denizens, and the Legion's personalized countermeasures. For the first time since losing the Dome, the Legion was safe from its enemies.

* * *

The Justice League did indeed send a unit to assist in recovering the escaped convicts. With their assistance, the authorities were able to round everyone except the Legionnaires up within 24 hours. The US Marshal's Service was beside themselves with gratitude.

Superman, however, was beside himself with rage; "I can't believe we haven't found Luthor yet!"

Shayera and Flash exchanged worried looks while Diana tried to talk some sense into him, "Luthor was never a prisoner within Blackwater Prison. We knew going into this that he wouldn't be here."

"Well, he should have been!" Superman huffed.

Diana stepped aside while John tried speaking with him. She met with Shayera and Flash, "Very well, I concede the point. You can access our apartment and collect your samples tomorrow."

"I'd say it's just in time," Shayera said wryly.

Diana gazed at Clark, "Probably."

* * *

The next day, at 8:15 AM local time, Shayera and Flash teleported into Clark and Diana's apartment. Clark was at the _Daily Planet_ offices checking in for a staff meeting. As the roving Superman/Justice League beat reporter he only had to attend for editorial meetings.

Diana was aboard the _Watchtower_ while Alexandra Kent was at the Day Center Academy in Fawcett City. There, Tawky Tawny and Uncle Dudley watched over the JLU personnel's children as well as those of local clients. Since Tawky Tawny was a bit of a local celebrity, the Academy was extremely popular. It was already expanding its physical site after purchasing all of the adjacent properties. They also operated for 24 hours, seven days a week. This fit into the irregular schedules of many of its clients.

* * *

Shayera and Flash collected many food samples. Diana had provided a list of foods that were solely consumed by Clark. It was an impressive array of items.

They whisked away back to the _Watchtower_ so Flash could begin his examination. Mr. Terrific sat in on it and assisted. They had a forensic lab all to themselves. Both men felt right at home.

Shayera excused herself and went to a research cubicle. Diana eschewed shopping so the Kents had their food selected and delivered by a grocery chain. Diana just updated and modified a weekly online shopping list and a delivery person arrived the next day. The only food items that Diana personally chose were fruits and vegetables. She had a few select street carts that she patronized.

Shayera had a list of market employees and, after cross referencing criminal and financial information, she also had a list of potential suspects. Returning to the forensic lab, she found Flash and Mr. Terrific concluding their examinations. Both of them appeared rather upset.

"Did you find something?" Shayera inquired.

"Superman's being poisoned!" Flash blurted.

"Isn't he immune to poisons?" Shayera wryly asked.

Mr. Terrific stepped in, "Select foods have been laced with a fine kryptonite powder. Foods such as his instant oatmeal and other prepared foodstuffs all exhibit tampering."

"But would kryptonite alone contribute to the symptoms he's displayed?" Shayera wanted to know.

"No," Mr. Terrific acknowledged, "But there are also traces of a nerve toxin. That agent breaks down the tissues of the frontal lobes. Degradation of that portion of the brain would easily explain Superman's increasing…cognitive difficulties. The kryptonite lowers his immunity and makes him vulnerable to the toxin."

"In other words, he's dumb and getting dumber," Flash interjected.

"Thank you, Flash," Shayera dryly responded, "I do know what 'cognitive functioning' implies."

She thought about it for a moment, "We need to tell him _with_ Diana present as well."

"Oh boy," Flash grumped, "This is going to go over well."

Shayera though the Flash had finally mastered the art of understatement.


	2. Chapter 2

11 Justice League Convergence

"I don't believe it!" Superman practically shouted. As it was, the fist he used to emphasize his point caved in the metal examination table he was standing next to.

"Check the data," Mr. Terrific said firmly.

"You check it," Superman snapped.

"I have and the findings are conclusive," Mr. Terrific assured him.

"I refuse to believe it," Superman stubbornly held on, "I'm immune to everything."

"Except kryptonite," Mr. Terrific reminded him, "And the kryptonite lacing your food weakens your resistance to the nerve toxin. It's also slowly killing you as it builds up in your body."

"Impossible!" Superman actually shouted, "I can't be killed."

Mr. Terrific gave him a pitying look, "Do you know why you're acting this way and you won't believe me?"

"Because you're a liar," Superman accused.

"It's because your frontal lobes are decomposing. People with retrograded frontal lobes often times engage in criminal acts because their sense of right and wrong has disintegrated," Mr. Terrific described.

"Are you accusing me of something?" Superman growled.

"Not yet but I don't think that day is far off," Mr. Terrific calmly stated.

"Why you…!" Superman drew back his fist.

"Clark!" Diana suddenly interposed herself between her husband and Mr. Terrific, "You just proved his point."

Superman stared at her in stunned silence. He literally stared at his poised fist before he dropped his arm to his side, "Oh my God. What am I doing?"

"You're reacting to two very deadly poisons in your body," Mr. Terrific explained, "The human mind is a finely balanced instrument. The neurochemistry has to be precisely tuned or there is a mental breakdown. Kryptonian physiology is similar but that balance is even more crucial because of all the gifts bestowed upon by the influence of a yellow sun."

"But how?" Superman wanted to know.

"Shayera suspects your food delivery service. She and the Flash have gone to Metropolis to confront a list of suspects she has compiled," Mr. Terrific explained.

"Where are they?" Superman was agitated again.

"_Clark_!" Diana grated, "You will let Shayera and the Flash do this on their own. You'll only be in their way."

Superman was affronted by the mere suggestion that he would be an interference. Diana's cold glare made him back off from insisting on going down to Metropolis. What was wrong with him? It was like he was becoming Lord Superman from that strange parallel world where the Justice Lords had been feared and loathed as they ruled the world.

"Can we at least call them?" Superman pleaded.

"They're due to check in soon," Mr. Terrific shared, "You can wait here for their call."

Superman subsided. It would have to do for now. But deep in his gut, he knew it was Luthor. When he found Luthor he would break him in half for daring to tamper with his mind.

* * *

Shayera and the Flash had rounded up the personal shoppers as they returned to the market. She'd question each in turn. She'd kept them all there until she'd ferreted out the two she really wanted to talk to.

The others were dismissed but two, one male and one female, were kept behind. Shayera didn't have time to play nice, "Look, I already know you poisoned Clark Kent. What I want to know is why."

"It was poison?" the girl yelped, "They said it was vitamins."

"Who is 'they'?" Shayera steered the conversation before it went askew.

The two shoppers exchanged a worried look before the guy spoke, "We're the Kents' regulars so we were approached by two federal agents and asked to supplement his food with nutritional supplements."

"I'm not going to ask who they were because they're ID's were probably fake," Shayera replied, "But who did they say they represented?"

The girl picked up the thread, "It was some agency I'd never heard of. Something like the 'Department for Extraordinary Things'."

Shayera exchanged a glance with Flash. Then she turned to face the shoppers, "Was it the 'Department for Extranormal Operations'?"

"Yeah!" the guy blurted, "That was it. Like Wanda said, I'd never heard of them."

"You weren't supposed to," Shayera grimly informed them. She fished a card out of her pocket, "Look, if they came back, don't talk to them. Just call this number and tell them I told you to report an emergency."

"Are we in trouble?" Wanda asked.

"No," Flash decided, "But packaging is supposed to be tamper proof precisely for this reason."

Shayera and Flash excused themselves and requested a teleport once they reached the street. Then they met with Mr. Terrific and shared the news with Superman and Wonder Woman. It was quickly decided that they should have a chat with Director Bones of the DEO.

* * *

Mr. Terrific suggested a change in personnel for this next step of the investigation. The DEO had enjoyed a working relationship with the Justice Society of America. So why not bring the JSA Founders into play? Shayera endorsed the plan and she and the Flash opted to tackle the problem from another avenue. They would approach Maxwell Lord at the JLU's UN offices.

Jay Garrick, the original Flash, joined with Sentinel and Wildcat as the group teleported to the entrance of the DEO's official HQ. They'd taken over the J. Edgar Hoover building when the FBI moved out. It lent an air to the DEO's pretending to be a government agency.

In truth, the DEO was a United Nations agency. It had a great deal of bipartisan support in the American Congress so most jurisdictional difficulties were avoided. The DEO just kept the US security organs aware of their movements and they were left alone.

The JLU was met by security in the ground floor lobby. They managed to get past that group and were escorted to the administrative level. There, they and their escorts were intercepted by a higher bracket of security. And then the stonewalling began.

Director Bones stepped out of his office to instruct his administrative aide to inform security that the JLU was prohibited from venturing further and they were to be taken back to the ground floor where they could make a proper appointment. At that point, Director Bones lit the inevitable cigar and stepped back into his office. There he found Mr. Terrific waiting for him.

Bones reached for the doorknob and three T-spheres swooped in and menacingly hovered close to him. He pulled the cigar out of his teeth, "So I take it this isn't a social call."

"Let's just say you need to answer a few questions," Mr. Terrific replied.

"I don't know if I can," Director Bones admitted.

"You'll find a way or I'll break every one of your bones," Mr. Terrific threatened.

"You do realize I wear these gloves for a reason?" Bones asked.

"Yes, your so-called 'cyanide touch'. It didn't rate when you were a hack super villain and it hardly matters now," Mr. Terrific promised.

"I see," Bones sounded resigned, "If I may, I'll call off security and have your teammates brought here."

"Sounds like a plan," Mr. Terrific allowed.

Director Bones stepped back out into his aide's office and had her call off the dogs. He resumed puffing on his cigar, "I had forgotten that electronic surveillance was blind to you. Have you ever thought about working for us?"

"The JSA worked _with_ you, Bones. That's as close as I choose to get," Mr. Terrific shared.

Director Bones moved to a door to the side of the office, "If you'd follow me? Adele, have my visitors moved into the conference room."

* * *

The JLU team entered into the conference room and Director Bones dismissed the security detail. He looked at Jay, "Tell me, does it get confusing having two Flashes around?"

"The latest is worthy of the title," Jay declared, "I'm proud to have him carry my mantle."

"Let's hope he carries it longer than your first successor," Bones snapped his gloved fingers, "But he already has, hasn't he?"

"We're not here to answer questions, Bones," Sentinel informed him, "We're here to ask them."

"Ask away," Director Bones offered, "Just don't be surprised if I refuse to answer some of them."

"Did you poison me?" Superman asked hotly.

"Yes," Director Bones answered directly.

"What?" Superman was stunned by the blunt honesty.

"Why?" Diana decided to get to heart of the matter

"I was ordered to," Director Bones replied.

"By whom? You're the head of this agency," Jay wondered.

"Everyone answers to someone," Director Bones answered philosophically, "Even you lot."

"Then who do you answer to?" Sentinel wanted to know.

"A man called CONTROL," Director Bones revealed, "And before you get uppity, I've never met him and I have no idea of who he is. All I know is that he runs every agency that matters in the United Nations."

"Surely that is the work of the Secretary-General," Diana opined.

Director Bones chuckled. It had a dry, raspy sound, "Surely even you aren't that naïve, Princess. CONTROL answers to the one thing that all ultimate leaders answer to."

"And that is?" Wildcat asked impatiently.

"A higher calling," Director Bones revealed, "Not a higher power, mind you. CONTROL doesn't seem to view anything as being higher than himself. But he does answer to his ambition."

"And that is?" Diana pressed again.

"To live up to his name," Director Bones shared, "Over everything."

"Shayera mentioned this 'CONTROL' to me," Mr. Terrific divulged, "Katana spoke of him before she disappeared. She seemed to know a lot about him. Katana said something about him controlling a World Army."

"Is this true?" Sentinel asked Director Bones.

"So the little birdies say," Bones chuckled again.

"Where is Katana then?" Superman grated, "Tell us!"

"It just so happen that I'm interested in hearing what she has to say as well," Director Bones admitted, "So I can tell you she's in San Francisco."

"What is she doing there?" Wildcat had a hunch but he wasn't ready to share it yet.

"She's looking for Sickle," Director Bone waited for a flare of recognition. Not getting one, he continued; "Sickle is one Takeo Yamashiro."

There was no response so Director Bones continued laying it out, "Takeo was the brother of one Maseo Yamashiro. Does that ring any bells?"

Again with the blank stares. Director Bones was truly disappointed, "Katana's real name is Tatsu Yamashiro. Are you getting it yet?"

"She is their sister?" Diana ventured.

"Not quite," Director Bones said dryly, "Katana was married to Maseo. He's her dead husband. Maseo Yamashiro was killed by Takeo Yamashiro. Got it yet?"

"And how did she learn that this 'Sickle' was in San Francisco?" Jay asked the dreaded question.

"Because we told her he was," Director Bones confessed, "That information was her price for joining the JLU."

Seeing the stunned looks, he shrugged; "Besides, she lives in San Francisco now so she probably would have learned it on her own. This way we got to keep our claws into her."

"What business does Katana have with Sickle?" Diana inquired.

"She intends to repay her husband's murderer," Director Bones explained.

"By killing him," Wildcat voiced what no one wanted to discuss.

"Bingo!" Director Bones acknowledge the truth.

"You must tell us where this meeting is taking place so we can stop her!" Diana insisted.

"Why should I do that?" Director Bones wondered, "Sickle is arranging an alliance between the Yakuza and the Triads. I actually have a vested interest in seeing Katana kill them before an alliance is made."

"Could she really do it?" Diana hated to ask.

"She has the skills, the mindset, and the motivation," Director Bones informed her, "What she lacks are the numbers. Alone, she doesn't stand a chance."

"Then why do you sound so happy?" Wildcat wanted to know.

"Because she isn't alone," Director Bones chuckled again, as if to a private joke.

"Who is with her?" Mr. Terrific inquired.

"None other than the Chinese operative you call 'Ri'. You see, she has an interest in the Triad boss Li like Katana has towards Sickle," Director Bones illuminated more of the picture.

"There's something you're not telling us," Wildcat surmised.

"Well, Katana and Ri have a history. Katana is the assassin that accomplished the kill that was Ri's only failure. So they don't like each other almost as much as they hate Sickle and Li," Director Bones laughed again, "It'll be a riot to see who actually walks away from all of this."

The Justice League had their answers but they didn't like any of them.

* * *

Vandal Savage met the newly reconstituted Injustice Society in a conference room inside of his underground lair. The World Army HQ had abandoned its precursor underneath the United Nations complex. A unit still operated out of there. Their task was to monitor the UN delegates.

The new complex was a sprawling affair underneath Hartford, Connecticut. Savage studied the Injustice Society as they stood assembled at the other end of the room. They hadn't gone straight for the refreshments. Savage appreciated that. It showed a degree of focus.

The original Injustice Society had been a counterpart to the Justice Society. It had been founded and led by the Wizard. The group had gone defunct during the JSA's thirty year absence. When the JSA reappeared, the Injustice Society members were either dead or retired.

Johnny Sorrow had gone to the ageless Wizard and inquired about forming a new Injustice Society. He'd checked in with the sons, daughters, and grandchildren of the original members. He'd come away with some takers.

Johnny Sorrow had usurped the Wizard as the leader but the mage was content to have a chance at revenge upon his old nemeses. Johnny Sorrow was so captivated by the idea he wished to retain the name despite the Justice Society's inclusion into the Justice league Unlimited. The Injustice Society had once struck fear into the hearts of the average citizen and Johnny Sorrow vowed they would once again.

Tigress had joined. She was the granddaughter of the original Tigress and the original Sportsmaster. She was as lethal as her grandmother and her mother before her and as athletic as her father and her grandfather. There was no hunting technique or sport she hadn't mastered.

Icicle had joined as well. As well as being the grandson of the original Icicle, he was Tigress' husband. Their families had stayed close throughout the decades and the happy couple were set to embark on their own crime wave when the Wizard contacted them.

Shiv was the Dragon King's daughter. She was also Stargirl's sole archenemy. Trained since birth as a fighter, her lethal skills were enhanced by her armor, which could project a variety of edged blades. Driven to a nearly psychotic furor to prove herself to her father, she was a lean killing machine.

Geo-Mancer was an unknown to everyone save the Wizard. But he had geokinetic powers to rival Sand's. His motivation was a secret but his desire to inflict harm upon the former Justice Society was an established fact.

There was also Killer Wasp. Son of the Yellow Wasp. He'd grown up watching his father's duels with Wildcat. No one knew his augmentation had come about but while Yellow Wasp had only worn cosmetic attachments to be an insect, Killer Wasp truly shared insect-like qualities. His wings were actual insect wings. He had amazing agility. And he possessed an electro blast "sting".

And finally there was Rival. Edward Clariss had been the original "Reverse Flash". Recreating the chemical formula that had endowed jay Garrick with superhuman speed, Rival adopted the Flash's costume and embarked on a crime spree posing as the original speedster. They had fought over the years between 1940-1952. In a bizarre coincidence, Rival had become trapped in the Speed Force just a year before Jay entered Ragnarok for thirty years.

Jay emerged in the `80s but Rival had remained trapped until just a year ago. As Ragnarok's energies had kept Jay young and vital, so too did the Speed Force for Rival. Because Rival had been older than Jay when he disappeared, they were now roughly the same age. Time had not mellowed Rival's heart any and he wanted nothing more than to avenge himself on his old foe.

Savage pondered it and he felt they _were_ the team for the task he had in mind. He summoned them to the table and began to speak, "I have a simple proposition for you. I am creating a New World Order and I need generals and lieutenants to organize and run it for me. In order to earn a place by my side, I merely need a demonstration of your prowess and ambition."

"You have something in mind, I take it," Johnny Sorrow mused.

"I suggest you attack the K-Star Ranch," Savage stated.

"I'm afraid we don't follow you," the Wizard spoke for the others, who were unaware of why Johnny Sorrow seemed overly delighted by this prospect.

"Perhaps you'd care to explain it to them, Mr. Sorrow," Savage offered.

"The K-Star Ranch is formally referred to as the JLU Compound. But before it received this designation it was the headquarters for the Justice Society. Many of them still live on the grounds," Johnny Sorrow explained.

"And the rest will come running when it is threatened," Savage assured them, "Killing the former Justice Society is but one of your tasks while there."

"Do tell," Johnny Sorrow's amusement grew.

"There is an AI by the appellation of 'Roxy' installed in the grounds. She must be eliminated," Savage insisted.

"And why is that?" Johnny Sorrow resisted the urge to snicker.

"Very few minds have the breadth to grasp the complexity of my plan. She does. As it goes into motion, this 'Roxy' cannot be allowed to interfere with those plans or advise the JLU on how to do so," Savage explained.

"Since we're all in a good mood and looking for a challenge, we'll do it," Johnny Sorrow decided.

"You won't regret this," Savage promised, "I'll see to it."

"Avenging the King of Tears will be enough of a reward for me," Johnny Sorrow admitted.

Savage worked out the timing and a few additional details with the Injustice Society and then he sent them on their way.

* * *

Savage then contacted Nyssa Raatko. Ra's al Ghul's _other_ daughter had been born on the Russian Steppes in the 18th Century. She had come to serve him in a similar capacity as Talia. However, with their father's passing, Talia had ascended to the throne and now ruled the League of Shadows.

Although ousted from the League of Shadows, Nyssa still had influence within the League of Assassins. Using her contacts, she'd put together a team for Savage's plans. She readily endorsed his vision of a world united under one man. _Him_. She saw Vandal Savage as the one person that would finally bring peace and prosperity to the planet Earth.

"Have you gathered a team, Nyssa?" Savage inquired.

"Yes, the Injustice League has been born," Nyssa proudly proclaimed.

"Give me a rundown," Savage insisted.

"My lieutenant is the veteran assassin, David Cain. Among his more notable attributes is that he helped train Batman and conceived a child with Lady Shiva," Nyssa shared, "That child, Cassandra Cain has joined for similar reasons as my own. However, there is a great deal of volatility between sire and child."

"Will it prove problematic?" Savage wondered.

"No more than the woman Annalea and the man called Mad Dog," Nyssa went on, "Both were trained by David Cain as children. And both were later rejected as failures of being his ideal weapon."

"Fortunately, there is a good working relationship between Merlyn and the second Syonide," Nyssa reported, "They have undertaken many assignments together. Syonide even had the distinction of assisting in the downfall of the Outsiders."

"Promising. Go on," Savage urged.

"Card Queen is a variable," Nyssa admitted, "Duela Dent is the biological offspring of Two Face but she originally referred to herself as the Joker's Daughter. The Joker's rejection of her as such prompted her adoption of her current alias. With the visible absence of Harley Quinn, Card Queen sees herself as the heir of the Joker's legacy. This includes his unpredictable nature."

"As long as she doesn't start relying upon a damn coin to make every decision," Savage retorted, "Any more?"

"You'll recall that a number of years ago every male on the planet was afflicted with a mystery ailment and many died before the Justice League unveiled a cure?" Nyssa wondered.

"It wasn't _every_ male," Savage corrected her.

"Of course," she allowed, "Aresia was responsible for that event. She was a child taken in by the Amazons of Themiscyra. She had Amazon training and attributes. All she is lacking is the immortality."

Savage had a few doubts about this 'Aresia' but he kept them to himself, "Am I safe in assuming there are more?"

"The final two members of the Injustice League are Inertia and the Red Hood," Nyssa proudly announced.

"I am unfamiliar with anyone named 'Inertia' but wasn't the Red Hood the original alias of the man that became known as the Joker?" Savage was understandably curious.

"Inertia was briefly known to the world as Kid Zoom," Nyssa explained, "When the Reverse Flash sidelined him, the boy took on another name for himself and undertook a path that led him to me. He will serve your interests faithfully."

"And the Red Hood?" Savage brought the name up again.

"A former member of the Outsiders. In fact, he was the one that delivered them to their enemies," Nyssa boasted, "He was talented enough in his former life but under the tutelage of Lady Shiva and David Cain, he is now a threat that few can match."

"He's betrayed one team already," Savage pointed out, "Will he do so again?"

"Unlikely," Nyssa assured him, "Red Hood sees your vision as his own. You are the embodiment of all of his aspirations. He wants to live in the world you will create. Why would he betray these ideals?"

"You'd be surprised," Savage warned her, "How soon can the Injustice League assemble and deploy?"

"Give us twelve hours," Nyssa stated.

Savage smiled, "Very well, you have forty-eight. At the end of that time, things will be in full motion."

"What is our assignment?" Nyssa wondered.

"You will divide into three teams. Each team will proceed to a city that I will designate. There they will await the Justice League and then eliminate every last member," Savage declared.

"Will I be privy to the locations or do I have to wait?" Nyssa asked dryly.

"The Legion of Doom will create a distraction in each location," Savage stated, "So the JLU will never see the Injustice League coming. Those attacks will commence on Metropolis, Gotham City, and Fawcett City."

"My team and I will be there and ready," Nyssa promised.

After she signed off, Savage smiled; "I know."


	3. Chapter 3

11 Justice League Convergence

Tatsu Yamashiro planned her strategy. Sickle was hosting Li Quan aboard the Daggers' cruise ship and taking him on a private cruise. They were selecting "entertainment" for the crime lords. The girls were cheap and very disposable since Li Quan's tastes were well known. Most women didn't survive his affections. A few of those chosen, though, shared in his lust for perversities.

Tatsu had made other arrangements to get aboard the ship though. She needed to stow her gear and arrive for "work" in an hour. That was when Tatsu heard the creak at the door. Knowing Junko would be in the middle of a bottle of sake right now and therefore indisposed; she grabbed the SoulTaker and pulled it free from its sheath. Inside, the soul of Maseo Yamashiro spoke to her.

He expressed his undying love and of his concern for her. She whispered to the blade that all was well. She poised herself across from the doorway. When the door opened, she pulled back the sword for a stroke. A figure entered and Tatsu released.

Only her recognition of Ri saved the Chinese woman's life. As it was, she ended up with the SoulTaker's sharpened edge touching her throat. Tatsu frowned.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Tatsu asked.

"I didn't think you would answer," Ri explained, "Was I wrong?"

Tatsu pulled the sword back but kept it in a guard position. Ri had reason to hate Tatsu and that may prove problematic on the eve of her completing her quest. Tatsu took a further step back.

"What is it you want?" Tatsu asked.

"The DEO informed me that they had told you of tonight's meeting between the Yakuza lord, Sickle, and the Triad boss, Li Quan. I want to help you," Ri stated.

"Why?" Tatsu wondered.

"Because I want Li almost as bad as you want Sickle," Ri boldly proclaimed, "Of course, Li didn't kill my husband in a jealous fit of rage but Li had the assassin Deadshot kill my patron, Minister Ling."

Tatsu knew of the death just as she knew of Ling. He had hired her once. She was wondering if Ri knew that yet.

Ri wore a knowing smile, "And now Katana, you must be wondering if I know it was you that killed Ku. Deadshot informed me when he brokered for his life. I know you were actually working for Ling, which means I was actually working at cross purposes."

"Ling wanted Ku dead and truth be told, so did Darknight and I. I can only assume that you had been briefed on my healing powers and that is why you employed a fatal strike upon Darknight to distract me and allow you access to Ku. I commend your strategy. It was flawless," Ri shared.

Actually, Katana _hadn't_ known about Ri's powers. It was just blatantly obvious she loved Darknight so she would be distracted if he was wounded. Of course, this was before Maseo's death so she'd had no inkling what kind of enemy she could create. Fortunately for all involved, except for Ku, Ri _had_ a healing touch and Darknight actually came out of the experience hale and heartier than before the mission.

But she wasn't going to share that, "Why assist me then?"

"You are good, Katana," Ri allowed, "One of the best. But you are woefully outnumbered. Let me balance the numbers in your favor. Alone you can strike and strike hard but you are not guaranteed success. But together? We could shatter an army and topple an empire."

"You do realize that attacking the Triads will earn several lifetimes' worth of enemies?" Katana inquired sharply.

"Yes, I am prepared for that," Ri boasted.

"No one is ever prepared for that," Katana shared from experience,

"Nevertheless, it is my choice to make," Ri insisted, "That is, if you will allow me to stand at your side."

Katana thought long and hard. Finally Maseo's spirit weighed in. She pulled the SoulTaker close and whispered her thanks. She finally lowered the sword.

"Very well. We will accept you," Katana granted her the benefit of the doubt.

Ri was quite startled to witness the rumors being proven out. Katana did indeed talk to her sword and seemed to listen to it as well. The term "we" especially bore that out. Either she was insane or the souls of those slain by the blade did truly live within the then aptly named "SoulTaker".

Katana sheathed the SoulTaker and turned to Ri, "We must hurry. You wear enough weapons to adequately get the job done but the trick is getting those weapons, and our gear, aboard the cruise liner."

"What are these?" Ri gestured at the cases lining Katana's studio apartment wall.

"These are our way in," Katana smiled slightly, "I wasn't certain how many I would need but my needs are surprisingly small. So there are equipment cases for you as well."

Ri lifted a lid, "But these are full of…_cooking_ equipment."

"Precisely," Katana's slight smile blossomed into a smirk, "Posing as a prostitute is too obvious. The cruise ship's other great need is for catering staff."

Ri got it all at once, "Brilliant!"

"A sizable bribe has me allotted on the staff's list. We should have time to prepare you and still bribe the caterer before the boarding call tonight," Katana shared, "One question; do you have immediate access to one hundred thousand dollars?"

"Yes," Ri assured her.

"Then you will be boarding with me tonight," Katana guaranteed her.

* * *

While Ri and Katana packed up their gear, Ri began to explain Minister Ling's part in the affair; "Ling wanted to end the unofficial alliance between the Communist Party and the Triads. Of course, officially and traditionally, the two sides loathed one another to the point of extermination squads being sent out from each. But when the People's Republic reintegrated Hong Kong, it provided for an Autonomous Region status being bestowed upon the former British holding."

Ri slapped down a lid and moved to the next case, "Of course, the Triad's were imbedded in Hong Kong. This meant that the PRC had also absorbed the Triads. Rather than expend capital and manpower in an uneasy territory, it was decided to co-opt the Triads. They could exist and freely function so long as they paid a tax on their earnings and an annual "tribute" to the Party."

"Sounds very convenient for the Triads," Katana commented.

"And for the PRC," Ri admitted, "They had tamed the tiger. And in turn, the tiger would perform favors for them. Especially in the international arena."

"But in turn, the PRC also had to return the favors," Katana surmised.

"That is how the protection details began. No one would strike at the Triad bosses abroad if they had official Chinese government protectors," Ri shared, "As the class of threats escalated, so did the caliber of the agents deployed. And that is how Darknight and I faced you."

Ri paused to stare at Katana, "But why were _you_ chosen to strike at Ku?"

Katana wore a sad air, "As you probably know, Sickle is my dead husband's brother Takeo. He had left our clan to ply his trade with the Yakuza. He was a leading force in this proposed alliance. Maseo and I had dedicated our lives to stopping Takeo's endeavors. I was the less conspicuous so I was chosen by Minister Ling for the mission. I flew to Singapore and encountered you and your partner there."

"And killed Ku," Ri said wryly.

"That day seems to have changed your life," Katana observed.

Ri's hung her head, "I…_loved_ Darknight. That love allowed you to kill a senior Triad lord. There were many repercussions. Darknight and I were separated and assigned to other tasks. He now leads the PRC's meta-human Zhuguan team. I was bounced around until I was sent to the Justice Society. Since August General in Iron represented China in the Justice League Unlimited it was felt I would do the same in the Justice Society of America."

"And the term 'America' in that title didn't seem ironic to you?" Katana mused.

"Of course it did," Ri's temper flared, "But my government wanted someone on the inside…and they wanted to get rid of me. So this was convenient for them."

"If I may make two observations," Katana entreated Ri.

Ri nodded, "Very well."

"First, you were allowed to stay with the Justice League when the Justice Society merged with them. It appears that someone back home appreciates your efforts so far," Katana shared, "And second, you still love Darknight."

Ri's cheeks burned, "But what good can that do me?"

Katana shrugged, "It's a matter of perspective. Your lover dwells half a world away. Mine is trapped within a sword. Who has the greater chance for a reunion?"

Ri just stared at her. Katana waved a hand at her, "Hurry! If we are not leaving in five minutes we will be late."

Ri snapped the lid shut on the last case, "Done!"

"Then we first hit the bank and then we proceed to the docks," Katana reminded Ri of their itinerary.

"And from there, success!" Ri proclaimed.

"We shall see," Katana cautiously replied.

* * *

Katana and Ri made it aboard the Dagger clan's cruise ship, the _Divine Wind_, with time to spare. The caterer showed them to a storage locker he'd agreed to keep empty. They wheeled their cases into it and began to gear up in secret.

After donning her usual outfit, Katana strapped the SoulTaker's scabbard to her back. She slid several shuriken into discreet pockets. She pulled the two hair pins out of her hair and slid them into sheaths on her forearms. Each one was sharpened to a razor point. Finally she strapped on two tanto knives onto the small of her back. Each one facing the opposite direction so they could be pulled out by the hand on the side the handle faced.

Ri once again relied upon a General Kuan's Knife has her primary weapon. It had been the hardest weapon to smuggle in. She strapped a Light Wushu Broadsword to her belt. Under her belt, she discreetly wore a 3-Part Staff.

Katana admired the broadsword's lines. They were highly reminiscent of the SoulTaker's. They waited in the storage room for several hours, until the noise from the adjacent rooms quieted down and the catering staff was fully engaged in cooking. Slipping away, they began to climb through the decks.

* * *

Sickle had gained favor once again among the Yakuza lords. His proposal to ally his organization with the Triads had once again been approved. This alliance between Sickle and Li Quan would be a test bed to prove the viability of the concept. Since the Yakuza and the Triads operated most closely in San Francisco, they would begin their experiment there.

Sickle had also come to America to evade Katana's quest for vengeance. She'd torn through Japan looking him. No one was safe, from the lowest to the highest in rank. Everyone she came after eventually died.

Sickle had been sent to Europe to get her out of the damn country. Dutifully, she had followed him to Europe. And from there she proceeded to the American East Coast.

Sickle had represented the Yakuza to the Five Families of the Mafia. He'd engaged in some killings for them. This drew Katana to him.

Like her, he also wielded a specific and distinctive weapon. A pair, actually. His name derived from his use of twin sickles. They had been forged by the same craftsman that created the SoulTaker. And like that cursed blade, the sickles were also enchanted.

At one time, the SoulTaker had been Sickle's to command. He'd committed dark and violent deeds with it, and like the curse bade, he'd been consumed by the sword and driven on to darker outlets of deadly violence. His jealousy of Tatsu choosing his brother, Maseo, had overwhelmed him and he came to slay Maseo and claim Tatsu as his own. What he hadn't expected was that Tatsu would attack him out of bloodlust and rage after Maseo died. She'd disarmed him and claimed the SoulTaker for her own. Or more exactly, _it_ had claimed her.

Tatsu's grief and rage called out to the sword and it bathed in those raw emotions and fanned the flames of her broken heart. Thus, Katana was born. And Katana lived for one purpose: to kill Sickle and have the SoulTaker consume his soul.

He hadn't seen Katana in a while. The silly git had taken up with the Justice League Unlimited. Did they truly have an inkling of who and what she was? Or were they merely using her and then casting her aside?

It wasn't the first time she had taken up with a meta-human team. First there had been the Outsiders. History had proven that effort folly. Was she truly so desperate as to walk that path again?

The Daggers had promised complete and total security for this meeting. Regardless, Sickle chose a handpicked group of bodyguards to accompany him on this voyage. Not to be outdone, Li Quan had done the same.

Li sat in a lounge chair in the aft section. He was near the pool. Women cavorted in the water and on its sides. Most were naked and those that weren't might as well have been. Some were already engaged in lascivious acts with one another. Sickle could see the bulge in Li's pants.

"There will be time enough for earthly delights and the sins of the flesh when we conclude our business," Sickle advised.

"What are you? A monk?" Li inquired.

"Only in that I am extremely focused on our business," Sickle proclaimed.

"Tell me, are these girls…open to new experiences?" Li inquired.

Sickle sighed. He'd have to satisfy the degenerate's curiosity in order to shift his attention elsewhere, "Yes, and those that are initially reluctant will have access to designer drugs that will make them more…amenable to your desires. As a plus, we have secured women who will not be missed if they should go missing. Therefore, you will be able to indulge yourself."

"Let's talk business so we can get to the good stuff," Li urged.

"Follow me," Sickle led Li to the fore deck. The bodyguards dutifully followed.

* * *

Katana and Ri reached the cruise ship's bridge. They'd killed a dozen Daggers along the way. The two on the bridge were the easiest to kill yet.

The Captain had the temerity to ask, "Who are you?"

Katana slit his throat with a single, deft move; "Set course for shore! Now!"

"Will you kill us if we do?" the navigator asked.

"We will certainly kill you if you don't," Katana coldly promised.

The cruise ship began to turn.

* * *

Sickle and Li were discussing terms of the treaty when Sickle noticed the sun was now behind them. He bolted out of his chair, "Guards! Prepare for battle!"

"What are you talking about?" Li asked.

"We're headed back to shore and I'm fairly certain our speed has increased," Sickle informed him.

Li looked nervous. Sickle calmed him, "I know who the assassin is. She wants me and me alone. Of course, anyone who gets in her way will be considered collateral damage. Stay clear of her and you'll be fine."

"But how?" Li asked in a stupor.

"Does it matter?" Sickle asked derisively, "Tell your men to draw their weapons."

Sickle had insisted that all of the bodyguards abandon their guns and rely upon edged weapons. Li had thought him a fool, "If they had their guns…"

"They'd die sooner than later," Sickle snapped, "This woman is armed with a sword. It's a special sword and she insists upon killing me with it."

"Why?" Li was still beleaguered.

"Because I killed her husband with it," Sickle informed him, "And he was my brother."

Li suddenly realized he knew nothing about Sickle. And now that worried him.

* * *

"We did as you said," the helmsman pleaded, "Can we go now?"

"You will be departing," Katana replied, "But you cannot be allowed to reverse your handiwork."

The crew barely had time to cry out for mercy before Katana waded through them. They crumpled like bloody dolls. The hatch to the bridge swung open and Ri carved up the Daggers that had followed the ladies' lethal trail.

Katana and Ri went forward to the forward window. Below the bridge, Sickle, Li, and their guards were assembled. The Japanese guards were armed with katanas and tanto knives. The Chinese guards favored the Tiger Claw Nan Dao, also known as the Southern Broadsword.

"It seems they were expecting me," Katana mused.

"But they weren't expecting _us_," Ri stated.

"Shall we?" Katana allowed herself a slight smile.

Ri nodded her head wearing a similar smile.

* * *

"Maybe the whores are killers too!" Li babbled.

"And where did they hide their weapons?" Sickle scornfully inquired, "They're naked."

"I…what the hell!" Li screamed.

Katana and Ri dropped in on the guards who were so nicely lined up for them. Five died almost instantly. The survivors backed up in order to gauge their opponents. Katana unleashed her shuriken before they had time to get out of her effective range. Two Japanese guards bled to death as their severed cerotic arteries spilled forth.

Three more pulled shuriken out of their wounded sword hands. They weren't disabled yet but the pain would prove a distraction. Two of their number were bold enough to come at Katana.

She deflected the sword of one with her own and then drove a knee into the chin of his companion. She plunged a hairpin into the eye of the swordsmen. She alleviated his screams by beheading him. The knife man came at her with twin tantos. She was still in motion from the decapitation and she danced into his path as she drew the SoulTaker over her head and took his left arm off with a single stroke. His mouth worked soundlessly as she drove the second hairpin into his eye.

Sickle clapped his hands, "Well done, Katana. You are deadlier than ever before. But we shall see if you make it past the floorshow before you face me."

He withdrew and the remaining guards attacked her.

* * *

Ri slew two guards with her General Kuan's Knife before a third wised up to slice off the knife's head. It did little to aid him though since she stabbed him in the heart with the shaft. Pulling her Light Wushu broadsword from its scabbard, she wheeled to face the Chinese guards.

They had surrounded her by now. They began to come at her in pairs. But they were distant pairs so the attacks came from multiple directions at once. They would've confronted her en masse but then they would have threatened each other.

Ri finally began to recognize their nonverbal cues that selected partners. The next pair attacked almost as one. Ri mule kicked one in the chest while she ran the other one through the gut with her blade. Pulling her broadsword free, she executed a spin that ended with a slit throat.

Li retreated and followed in Sickle's footsteps.

* * *

Katana decapitated another foe. She carried the motion into a full circle that held two more potential adversaries at bay. When she came to halt, she was thrusting the SoulTaker through a man's chest.

She pulled her sword free in time to block a sword stroke from behind. She drove her knee into his gut. She swung her blade and took his legs out at the knee. As he flopped onto his back, she ended his cries of pain with a thrust into his heart.

Katana returned the SoulTaker to a guard position. Only two guards remained. The braver of the two came at her with an overhead strike. She blocked his blade with her own. She freed her left hand to palm strike his nose. Even as he stepped back to try and clear his vision, he accepted his death.

The last guard fell on his sword rather than face her. She looked to her side and saw that Ri was in need of help. She'd been useful so far so Katana decided to give her aid.

* * *

Ri was down to four opponents. They'd finally decided to take the risk and attack at once. She'd killed one but had received grievous wounds from the remaining three. But one of the Chinese guard's head fell from its body.

The guard next to him spun to face the new threat but it was too late. Katana met his chest with a solid thrust through it. While the last guard was distracted, Ri sliced his throat open.

"You are hurt," Katana observed, "You need to withdraw."

"No!" Ri snapped and then she softened, "My powers also work on me."

She touched each of her wounds one at a time and in seconds each one healed. Ri smiled, "Now I am ready."

Katana smiled, "Indeed you are."

* * *

In the day cabin, Li demanded to have a gun. Sickle gave him a pitying smile and opened a wall safe. He handed Li a pistol and three loaded magazines. Li slapped a magazine into the pistol and racked the slide to chamber a round.

"Your best bet is to go to the port side and get onto the dock. Two jet skis are anchored there. Take one and make for shore. We should be close enough now for you to make it," Sickle informed him, "I will join you when I have dealt with Katana."

Li started to leave and Sickle called after him, "Just one question: who is the Chinese woman?"

"She is called 'Ri'. She has a healer's touch," Li answered.

"Yet she wants you dead," Sickle chuckled.

"I arranged for the death of her patron," Li explained, "The assassin recently betrayed me to her. Now she seeks my life."

"Know this; if she does not confront me I will not engage her. My fight is with Katana alone," Sickle warned.

"Understood," Li acknowledged before he scurried away.

* * *

Moments later Katana and Ri burst into the day cabin. Sickle had his twin blades ready for us, "So we meet again, Tatsu."

"For the last time, Takeo," Katana vowed.

"We shall see," Sickle philosophically mused.

"Where is Li?" Ri demanded to know.

Sickle gave her a pitying stare. Katana spoke, "He obviously is trying to get off of the ship. There is a pair of jet skis moored on the port side. Go there. I will clean up here."

"Very well," Ri relented and she exited the day cabin.

"Very good, Tatsu. You haven't lost your edge. If anything, you are sharper than ever," Sickle applauded her, "Forget this madness! We can have a life together!"

"We shall," Katana said with preternatural calm, "You shall be within the SoulTaker's embrace and I shall carry you until I die."

"That sword will be mine again today if you do not withdraw, Tatsu," Sickle promised.

"No, it won't. It doesn't want you," Katana retorted.

"Very well then. We dance one last time," Sickle realized.

"Indeed," Katana smiled. Her expression scared him.


	4. Chapter 4

7 Justice League Convergence

Jaina Hudson swept into the ballroom at the Grand Vista. Innovative Concepts was hosting a gala in order to solicit donations. While Max Lord was asking for money, Bruce Wayne had covered the costs of the event. Jaina had arrived fashionably late and was making her way around the dance floor.

While she generally detested alcoholic beverages, it was gauche not to be holding a drink. Yet, across the room she spotted her favorite socialite. Bruce Wayne was also sans a drink. There was hope for him after all.

She stopped at the bar and inquired into what kind of mixers they had. Selecting orange juice as her poison of choice, she strategically moved to a spot where she could see, and be seen, without actively engaging anyone.

Bruce spotted her and began his approach. She smiled to herself. _So predictable,_ she thought.

She'd cultivated a great deal of honey in her relationship with Bruce Wayne. While she genuinely did like him, he served a greater purpose and she couldn't forget that. Her parents had taught her the value of strategic relationships.

Her father had been the American ambassador to India. Her mother a Bollywood starlet. Both valued relationships for what they could bring.

Max Lord had also spotted her and he reached her first. Jaina wore a polite smile but she kept an eye on Bruce. He'd slowed but he didn't stop until he was intercepted by Veronica Vreeland. Jaina knew they were merely friends, but still, was the conversation about her?

"You seem distracted," Max noted.

"Yes, I spotted a friend," Jaina admitted.

"You should go to him then," Max advised.

Something in Max's tone set off warning bells in Jaina's head. She knew all about Max Lord and his secrets. Was it possible he'd figured hers out as well?

Promising herself that he would bear watching from now on, she made her approach towards Bruce. Veronica was lecturing him, "For God's sake, Bruce. Ask the woman out."

"I have. She always has a good reason not to go," Bruce shared.

"She's playing hard to get," Veronica argued.

"I…Jaina!" Bruce turned.

She idly wondered just how he'd spotted her. Bruce seemed less than thrilled that Max had followed her. She decided to seize the moment.

"Would you care to dance, Mr. Wayne? Or is your dance card filled?" Jaina asked lightly.

"I believe there are still some openings," Bruce bantered.

"Not anymore," Jaina laughed.

While the pair moved to the dance floor, Veronica sized up Max's bank account.

* * *

A messenger interrupted Bruce and Jaina between dances. Jaina glanced at it and sadly informed Bruce, "I have to reply to this. My phone is in my clutch. I'll only be a moment, I promise."

She went off towards the coat check room and Bruce noticed that Veronica was still monopolizing Max's time. Perhaps they'd both found spouse number five. He had noticed that Jaina seemed like she expected the note to arrive rather than it being surprise. He wondered why.

Jaina blew past the coat check and searched around for an empty, specious room. Arriving on the third floor, she found a room that the maids were still working on. Fortunately, they were currently absent. Jaina ducked inside and locked the door. The maids had pass keys but she'd hear them coming.

She quickly reached out her hand and the White Rabbit manifested herself, fingers touching Jaina's. The White Rabbit grinned, "Did we get it?"

"Vandal Savage has contacted you," Jaina handed the White Rabbit the note; "He's at Maxwell Lord's outlier warehouse. He wants a direct meet."

"I can't disappoint him, now can I?" White Rabbit giggled.

"You do have him under control, don't you?" Jaina inquired.

White Rabbit looked put out, "Of course. Vandal Savage is wrapped around my pinky with a pink bow. The question is: do you have Bruce Wayne where you want him?"

"I will after today," Jaina promised.

"Then our efforts have not been in vain," White Rabbit smiled.

"How will you leave the hotel?" Jaina wondered.

"Straight down my rabbit hole," White Rabbit winked and then she left the room.

Jaina left her to her own devices. She was capable after all. Jaina returned to Bruce to find him rather amused.

"What's so funny?" she inquired.

"That was some phone call," Bruce opined.

Jaina had the decency to look embarrassed, "Family trouble in India. A cousin is in trouble. They wanted to know if I could help."

"Can you?" Bruce was already concerned.

She hated lying to him for some reason, "It's taken care of. That's what took so long. It was actually _three_ sequential calls. Sorry."

"As long as the matter is settled," Bruce was still concerned for her family.

"It is," Jaina suddenly loathed herself for what she was going to do to him.

* * *

The White Rabbit made it across town and into the outer industrial sections in record time. She went to the primary Lord Enterprises warehouse. There, World Army troops had secured the perimeter, and since they were bearing Max's personal authorization, they had also isolated the facility's security team.

The White Rabbit and Vandal Savage had complete privacy in the shipping office. She was rather aloof as he rose to greet her. While he was obviously pleased to see her, he knew instantly that something was wrong.

"Is something bothering you?" he inquired.

"Your timetable is all wrong," White Rabbit coldly replied, "I need seventy-two hours to activate my 'credible threat' that will justify your activating the World Army."

"You said you needed seventy-two hours," Savage agreed, "My forty-eight hour window insures that a second attempt can be made on the Justice League if the primary action fails."

"I thought your primary option was 'foolproof', or have I been misled?" White Rabbit asked archly.

"No," he chuckled, "You haven't been misled but this is a critical juncture in history. It is a flexible point, which means any outcome is possible. Even all of my travels haven't revealed what the potential outcomes are."

Savage narrowed his eyes, "And what of your 'threat'? Is Mordru prepared to honor his bargains?"

White Rabbit smiled cunningly, "He is more than prepared."

"And Mordru was the real force behind Surtur's recent breach into our dimension?" Savage sought clarification.

White Rabbit gave him a pitying look, "Dr. Fate trapped Mordru in Limbo after his rampage in Metropolis some years ago. Not too long ago, he found a way to enter the Shadow Realms. There he found Ian Karkull, another victim of Fate's mercies. Karkull has found a way to breach the worlds between the Shadow Realms and our dimension. However, he isn't strong enough to do so on his own."

"Hence Obsidian's involvement," Savage indicated he was still following her.

"Karkull directed Obsidian's efforts while Mordru contacted Surtur in Ragnarok and Johnny Sorrow in the Subtle Realms. Mordru paved the way for their entrance into Earth," White Rabbit continued.

"Why didn't Mordru simply reappear at that time?" Savage wanted to know.

White Rabbit gave him a wry look, "For all of your scheming you are still such a blunt instrument, Vandal Savage. Mordru's energies were spent from crossing over the two dimensions into our own. It is unlikely even the vaunted Mordru could have breached the Shadow Realms while maintaining the crossovers from Ragnarok and the Subtle Realms as well."

"Then why did he do it?" Savage asked.

"To see if he could," White Rabbit laughed, "It was an exercise to see if he could manage a crossover. Now he's prepared to do it for real."

"But will he honor his bargain with you?" Savage sharply inquired again.

"You mean will he hold faith with your ambitions, don't you?" White Rabbit asked mirthfully.

"Yes, I do," Savage bluntly admitted.

"Mordru wants one thing: unfettered access to Fate's Tower. He wishes to destroy Fate and then he wishes to move on against the Lords of Order themselves," White Rabbit elaborated, "Oh, eventually he'll move against the Lords of Chaos but for now they are natural allies."

"But Mordru desires conquest over everything," Savage reminded her.

"In due time," White Rabbit assured him, "He has seen the potential future and in it he ruled the universe. But first he had to destroy the Lords of Order and Chaos, the Guardians of the Universe, and even the Spectre. Those things take time. If he conquers all, it won't be until the 31st Century. In the meantime, Earth will have been yours for a millennia. He's quite content to have you remain on as governor for him."

White Rabbit was delighted to see the flames in Savage's eyes, "Or you could always strike out against him someday."

"And what are you getting out of all of this again?" Savage inquired.

"A warm little hole for my personal den," she chuckled playfully. Seeing that Savage wasn't appeased, her pink eyes rolled in her head; "I'll settle for Gotham."

"And what's so important about Gotham City?" Savage wondered.

"What isn't?" White Rabbit teased. Seeing he was going to be stubborn, she illustrated her point; "What makes Jerusalem so valuable? Jews, Christians, and Muslims all lust over it. But what does it really have to offer? So it rings true with Gotham as well."

"Batman has bred an infernal lot out of you people," Savage complained.

"Batman," White Rabbit sighed dreamily.

"Can you deliver him or not?" Savage inquired a little more sharply than he intended.

"I already have," White Rabbit smiled coyly. The smile had the intended effect on Savage.

* * *

Jaina stepped out with Bruce as they left the gala. She'd accepted a ride home from him. Alfred Pennyworth drove the car as usual but she noticed that Alfred appeared far more tired than ever before. But Bruce seemed unconcerned. She let it go.

They discussed idle things. But they were still pleasant. Bruce had stepped down as CEO of Wayne Enterprises and wholly given the position over to Lucius Fox. A new corporate power in Gotham, Powers Industries, was sniffing around Wayne Enterprises stockholders seeking to engage in a hostile takeover or at least a forced merger. Bruce seemed blithely unconcerned. Whatever happened, he would still be the majority stockholder and therefore he would be able to persuade the board to honor its charitable commitments.

What impressed Jaina was that Bruce wasn't engaged in charity as a social pastime or as a sop for his conscience. He honestly cared. He was in a position to do some good so he did it. He definitely wasn't Max Lord. He used his Innovative Concepts foundation to buy public opinion.

The car came to a halt before Jaina's building. Bruce smiled at her, "It seems we're always saying goodbye."

In a seemingly impulsive moment, Jaina kissed him. Their lips pressed together for a long time and then she pulled back with a shy smile and opened the door and then stepped out, "Maybe someday it will be 'hello' for good."

She closed the door and confidently strolled through the building's door as the doorman held it for her. Alfred, who was double parked, gave Bruce a last lingering gaze before driving on. He smiled at his charge.

"It seems the evening went well, Master Bruce," Alfred observed.

"Surprisingly so," Bruce confessed, "I wonder why?"

"Perhaps Miss Jaina has indeed been 'holding out', as they say, and as Miss Veronica has adamantly suggested," Alfred suggested.

"Perhaps," Bruce mused. But something hadn't seemed quite right. He recalled other kisses with other women. Talia had been an exercise in pure consuming possession. Selina was a take on reckless abandon. But Jaina had seemed calculated in some odd way. As if she was playing a part somehow.

But Bruce decided to let it go for now. At least she'd expressed some attraction for him tonight. Even if it was some kind of game, at least their long standing neutrality was broken. That had to be a good thing.

* * *

Jaina entered her apartment. She found the lights were already on. Good, that meant her 'guests' were already present. She moved past the parlor into the dining room and there she found the White Rabbit, as would normally be expected. But joining the White Rabbit was Poison Ivy. Ivy smiled.

"So you delivered the 'package'?" she asked.

Jaina held up the lipstick, "You say a single application will last a week?"

"Easily," Ivy smiled cruelly, "On some men it would last longer. But I've dealt with Brucie before. He's a stubborn mule."

"You did it, Jaina!" White Rabbit laughed with delight, "Batman is ours!"

Jaina eyed Ivy curiously, "Talia told you that Bruce Wayne bankrolls Batman?"

Ivy smirked, "He has to get all of his toys from someone. That's a lot of expensive hardware."

"And how did Talia discover this?" Jaina wondered.

"I think Talia knew a great deal more than she let on," Ivy chuckled, "She mentioned a love child between her and Batman."

White Rabbit suddenly pouted, "He's never impregnated me."

"We don't even know if you _can_ get pregnant," Jaina reminded her.

"Let's find out!" White Rabbit enthused, "After we snag Batman, I want to know."

"I guess what they say about little bunnies is true," Ivy wryly observed.

White Rabbit just giggled as she winked at Ivy. Jaina took over the conversation, "Clayface and Mr. Freeze are with you on this, correct?"

"They're as for our operation as they ever get about anything," Ivy confided.

"Good," Jaina decided, "Once we snare Bruce, Batman will run to his rescue."

"And I'll be waiting," White Rabbit promised.

"We all will," Ivy vouched for the others.

"So much the better," White Rabbit confided.


	5. Chapter 5

10 Justice League Convergence

Ri raced down the causeways within the cruise liner. Posted signs directed her to the docking moor. Finding the hatch open and the mooring deployed she immediately recognized that one of the two jet skis was indeed gone. Stepping out, she looked towards the approaching shore and spotted the spray from the departing skidoo that Li was riding upon.

Ri unlatched the other water scooter and fired it up. Throttling it, she jetted forward. Opening up the throttle, she risked capsizing she was pushing the diminutive water craft so hard. Several times she was immersed in water but the nimble vessel dutifully obeyed her and surged ever onward.

* * *

Katana attacked Sickle. She came at him in an elegant down stroke that subtly shifted to the left in order that the slash would open his chest and gut. Sickle blocked the strike with his namesake weapon in his left hand while coming in a horizontal swipe at Katana's mid-section.

As she pulled back, it was Sickle's turn to take the initiative. He struck with a downward stroke with his left sickle, which Katana blocked with a crosswise move. She then dropped her arms into a blocking guard position that countered Sickle's attempt to impale her.

Katana immediately recognized the feint-thrust strategy. It was effective. It had probably served Sickle well against most foes. But Katana was hardly average.

Sickle unwisely repeated his maneuver. Katana reversed her blade's position so that it canted to the right. When Sickle engaged with his right, she dropped the SoulTaker across his arm and wrist.

Sickle cried out in surprise as he dropped one of his sickles. Katana reversed and swiped at Sickle's gut again. He leapt back, abandoning his mystical weapon. Katana was pleased but he was still armed with the sickle's mate. Which meant the former Takeo Yamashiro was still a dangerous opponent.

Katana stood between Sickle and his lost blade. She assumed a simple guard position. Sickle knew this for the duplicity it was. Still, he knew he couldn't defeat Katana with a single blade. Tatsu had learned much in her quest to become Katana. The bushido masters that had taught her to utilize the SoulTaker had done their job far too well for Sickle's taste at this moment.

Sickle attacked. It was his only option. Relying on his weaker hand, he pressed in on her with a frenzied attack that would have unnerved a lesser opponent. Katana merely stood her ground and deflected his strokes. It galled him to realize she was merely toying with him.

* * *

Li had already reached shore so Ri beached the skidoo next to his. She could see him sprinting off towards a nearby parking lot. He undoubtedly intended to steal a car and escape her wrath. Ri decided that was not going to happen.

Li was many things: killer, sexual predator, selfish, vain, and ambitious. But being physically fit wasn't one of them. His dissipate lifestyle insured that Ri was quickly overtaking him.

He was in the car park when he turned and saw Ri charging towards him, brandishing her broadsword. He pulled his borrowed handgun out of his waistband and fired several shots into Ri. He was delighted to see the bullets impact her and she came to a halt and dropped into a crouch.

Li approached her, intending to finish her off with a shot to the head. Oddly enough, she appeared to be rubbing her body. She then reached out and took hold of her Light Wushu broadsword and stood up.

Li gaped in astonishment because her wounds were all healed. He cursed himself for forgetting about her meta-human abilities. This time, he emptied the damn gun into her.

She healed herself and she surged forward. Li ejected the spent magazine, slapped a fresh clip in, and racked the slide to chamber a round. But when he took aim, she slashed his wrist with her sword.

Ri closed in and Li surprised her by stabbing her wrist with a hidden butterfly knife. She dropped her Light Wushu and stepped back to heal herself. Li scooped up the Light Wushu.

Ri groaned to herself. Li was an amateur but an inspired amateur could be far more dangerous than an expert. She pulled the 3-Part staff off of her waist and prepared for a long distance attack.

* * *

Katana was enjoying her game with Sickle. She was taking him apart one knick a time. None of them were disabling but they had to hurt. Katana considered it the merest taste of what he'd done to her heart.

Sickle finally came unglued and came at her in a reckless attack. She hooked his sickle with the SoulTaker's blade and pushed it aside. Katana then punched Sickle in the face. It was a blow born of heartache and ultimate despair. But those emotions had in turn birthed a new, more dangerous one: hate.

Sickle was startled as his nose smashed in. He rapidly blinked, trying to clear his vision. Katana, though, was already in motion.

She executed a leg sweep which dropped Sickle on his back. Katana poised the SoulTaker's tip in his chest and pressed in enough to draw blood. She wore a grim smile.

"Now, what to do with you, Takeo?" she mused, "Death may be too lenient a punishment. Even an eternity within the SoulTaker may be too lenient. After all, I don't know if the souls trapped within suffer like the damned."

Katana's gaze hardened, "And I want you to suffer, Takeo. Like I have suffered since you deprived me of Maseo. I want you to live an ongoing living damnation. I leave your soul to the unknown."

"But I already live a life of damnation," Sickle argued, "Every day without you is hell on Earth."

"Damn you!" Katana snarled, "You honestly expect me to believe _you're_ suffering?"

Sickle swatted the SoulTaker's blade aside with his remaining sickle and scrambled onto his feet, "I don't care what you believe, Tatsu. I know the truth for what it is."

"I am sick of your lies, Takeo. They all end now!" Katana declared.

"You might want to reconsider that," Sickle smiled triumphantly.

* * *

The cruise smashed into a pier and crumpled it. Boards flew in every direction as it chewed scenery. The mighty ship ground to a halt as its rudders became mired in the silt and sand.

Katana was thrown from her feet and the SoulTaker flew from her hand. She cursed her stupidity as she yanked the SoulTaker off of the deck and wheeled around. The sword was held to fend off any attack. Only there wasn't one.

Sickle's namesake weapons were gone. A blood trail led out of the day cabin. Katana relentlessly pursued.

As she exited the cabin she was swarmed by a horde of naked, blonde women. Because of their state of undress, Katana quickly surmised they were all bleached blondes. Katana would have been surprised if any ethnicity were not represented. She could see Li Quan's tastes reflected here.

Towards the back of the yammering crowd stood a Japanese woman in a traditional kimono. Her resemblance to Katana was frightening. So this was Sickle's whore. Katana was infuriated.

"Stand back!" Katana yelled and aimed the SoulTaker's blade at the crowd, "Or I will use this."

"Are we going to get paid?" was the almost unanimous whining inquiry.

"I don't know and I could care less," Katana declared. She suddenly noticed the trail of blood and resumed her hunt.

The blood led to a boarding ramp that had been swung out over the pier's wreckage. Katana decided that if Sickle could disembark so could she. She wasn't about to lose the bastard now.

* * *

Ri used the 3-Part staff to hammer Li's wrist. He reflexively let go of the Light Wushu. She then proceeded to beat his face in. She would knock him to his knees and when his face became visible to her, she would smack it again.

Li finally crumpled in on himself and cradled his now unrecognizable face. Ri let go of the staff as she scooped up the Light Wushu. She approached the sobbing Li and raised her sword. Before she could drop it in a killing stroke, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

Mr. America implored her not to kill LI. With him were Red Beetle, Lightning, and Mr. Terrific. The fact that Mr. America and Red Beetle were here together wasn't a surprise. Lightning's presence was also easily explained because she looked to Ri as a mentor. Mr. Terrific, however, was a surprise.

"Is this truly justice or is it vengeance?" Mr. Terrific asked her as he approached.

"It is both," Ri promised.

"I really don't think you believe that," Mr. Terrific replied.

"And why is that?" Ri was curious as to his reasoning.

"Because you would have done it by now," Mr. Terrific pointed out the obvious, "Why don't you hand him over to the Chinese authorities? I can teleport you to your country's embassy in Los Angeles."

"The People's Republic will merely shelter him," Ri protested.

"Why don't you wait and see?" Mr. Terrific urged, "You obviously believe in your country or you wouldn't serve them."

"Wouldn't they be shamed into acting?" Mr. Terrific suggested, "They would have to punish him or their alliance with the Triads would become public knowledge."

"You know?" Ri was startled.

"Not much gets by me," Mr. Terrific shared.

Ri mulled it over, "Very well. I shall try it your way. This time."

Mr. Terrific smiled, "That's all I ask."

* * *

Ri marched Li past the gates of the Chinese embassy and presented him to the security staff. Her Justice League teammates waited outside the gates. She hoped they knew they could be in for a long wait.

Ri filled out forms and affidavits in triplicate for over an hour. Finally, the ambassador himself assured her that the government would take care of Li Quan. The phrasing did little to reassure her. She asked to see him before she departed.

* * *

Li Quan's swollen, bruised, and battered face tried to lift in a smile when he saw Ri, "You have made a powerful enemy today."

"I don't think so. You are a very small man," Ri countered.

"You stupid bitch. You won't be safe anywhere on this planet. The Triads will find you and when they do they will kill you so slowly it will last for weeks. You'll take your own life before they inflict the final days of pain," Li vowed, "And being with the supposedly vaunted Justice League won't save you either. Our reach stretches everywhere."

"We'll see if it can stretch long enough to spare you from a reeducation camp," Ri said coldly.

"I'll be in a palace in a few days time," Li laughed, "And what will you have? A one room dormitory room on the K-Star ranch?"

Ri left before she opted to kill him after all. His ringing laughter was still in her ears when she reached the embassy gates. To her surprise, her comrades still waited for her.

"Feel better?" Mr. Terrific asked.

"Surprisingly, no," Ri admitted.

Mr. Terrific was at a loss.

* * *

The crowd that had gathered to gawk at the cruise liner and the demolished pier parted for Katana. She had the SoulTaker out and it was plain to see she intended to use it. People finally caught on to the fact she was following a trail of drying blood on the ground. The crowd directed her into an ice cream parlor.

The employees and patrons jumped when Katana burst in. One employee begged Katana not to kill them. Originally, Katana had no desire to kill anyone but if the stupid boy didn't shut up and start answering questions, she just might.

"Shut up!" Katana snapped, "Did a wounded man come through here?"

"Yeah, he went out the back," the idiot boy blurted.

"And he stole my cell phone!" an angry patron protested.

_Oh hell,_ Katana thought. Aloud, she asked; "How do I get out back?"

The calmer of the two employees showed Katana through the shop. She landed in an empty alley. Only it wasn't completely empty. At one end that met the street, Sickle waved down a car.

"Takeo!" Katana screamed.

He flashed her a salute with his sickle before getting into the automobile. It drove off. Katana hoofed it to the street. She stood in traffic, intending to commandeer a vehicle despite not being licensed to drive in America.

A car barreled towards her. At the last second she realized the driver was more interested in her cell phone that traffic. A red streak snatched up Katana and deposited her on the sidewalk.

"You're welcome," the Flash teased.

"Step aside!" Katana demanded, "I need a car!"

"Do you even know how to drive?" Flash wondered.

"What difference does that make?" Katana was close to hysterics, "I need a car. Now!"

"I don't think you should be going anywhere," Flash opined.

Katana brought the SoulTaker up into a guard position, "Get out of my way."

"Whoa! Hostile!" Flash commented. Suddenly he was behind her, "But first you've got to catch me."

Katana took that as a challenge.

* * *

Shayera was quite amused to see Flash on his backside and Katana was darting out into traffic again, "John!"

John Stewart heeded his wife's request and used a construct to sweep Katana out of the street. The couple came to a landing. John dealt with Katana while Shayera smirked at the Flash.

"You do realize that's twice she's dumped you on your butt," Shayera chuckled.

She gave Flash a hand up and he rubbed his jaw, "What can I say? She's incredibly lucky."

"Uh huh," Shayera played along.

"Oboy!" Flash yelped, "It looks like GL has his hands full."

Shayera turned to discover Flash was right.

* * *

John had resorted to creating a cage around Katana. She was incensed by this interference. She sliced across the bars with the SoulTaker. To John's surprise, they were sliced in half.

"Katana! Stand down!" Shayera barked, "He's gone! Do you understand? You won't be able to catch him now."

"I would have if you hadn't interfered!" Katana accused.

"Yeah right!" Flash retorted, "You were about to become road pizza. I saved your life."

Katana couldn't exactly argue that point, "But I was so close."

"You'll get another chance," Shayera promised, "If you come with us now, I guarantee that the Justice League will look for Sickle. If you want, we'll even help you when you approach him."

"No, it is a personal matter," Katana deferred, "Thank you for your offer. And you, thank you for getting me out of the street. But you seriously need to watch your physical space. Your amateurish attempts at wrestling someone to the ground are laughable at best."

"I guess she told you, Hot Shot," John quipped.

"Not that I'm arguing, but why are you so agreeable all of a sudden?" Shayera asked.

"Maseo told me to trust you. Part of trusting you is working with you," Katana admitted.

"And Maseo is…?" Shayera prompted Katana.

"My husband," Katana informed her, "He lives within my sword."

Flash gaped while Shayera and John exchanged a wry glance. Shayera turned back to Katana, "Okay, I won't argue. As long as you'll be cooperative now."

"I will," Katana promised.

* * *

Aboard the _Watchtower_ the Founders Council questioned Katana. It included the active six Justice League Founders. Now that group included the three surviving Justice Society Founders. And for this occasion the rest of the command staff was present. This was comprised of Sue Dibney, Sand, and Mr. Terrific.

Roxy was present through a satellite uplink but she couldn't manifest her usual avatar. The lack of holographic projectors contributed to this fact. Instead, she dominated the main viewing screen. Her usual appearance was recreated there.

"May I ask why I am here?" Katana wondered.

"You mentioned someone named CONTROL when we last met," Shayera confided, "There was also mention of a World Army. What do you know about these things?"

This greatly amused Katana, "Have you finally decided to heed my warning?"

"Who is CONTROL?" Superman thundered, "Tell me now!"

Katana studied Superman. He was obviously on the verge of losing control of himself. She had no fear of the Kryptonian. She understood now that her presence had been necessitated by Superman's condition.

Diana intervened and took Superman out into the corridor. Mr. Terrific briefed Katana on Superman's condition. She couldn't say she was surprised.

Superman and Diana re-entered the room and retook their seats. J'onn spoke to Katana, "Please elaborate on what you obviously know."

"CONTROL was given authority by the United Nations to deal with the increasingly common extraterrestrial invasions. Atlantis was added to that jurisdiction after their invasion of the Eastern United States," Katana explained, "I can only presume that he was behind the provocation that spurred Aquaman on."

"After the Atlantean invasion, the World Army went from being a theoretical exercise to a coherent fact," Katana shared, "All United Nations agencies are answerable to the World Army, and therefore, to CONTROL himself."

"These agencies include the Department for Extranormal Operations and the International Security Agency," Katana divulged, "Even the American ARGUS has been placed under it s aegis by the American President. Under UN mandate, ARGUS dismantled Task Force X. Replacing it is a new entity code named 'Checkmate'."

"While the DEO is tasked with assessing and categorizing meta-humans and meta-human activities, Checkmate is designed to deal with rogue meta-humans," Katana revealed, "Particularly the potential threats of the Justice League, the Teen Titans, and the former Justice Society."

"How do you know all of this?" Sue wanted to know.

"In my hunt for the man now known as Sickle, I travelled to San Francisco. There, the Yakuza clans are entrenched. Two in particular dominate the rest. The Sword clan and the Dagger clan," Katana described the situation, "Sickle chose the Daggers as his accomplices. This caused the Sword clan to lose face and they were deeply offended. It so deeply offended that one of them reached out to me."

"This may seem trivial but CONTROL has hired the Sword and Dagger clans to eliminate opposition figures against the World Army and his command of it.," Katana elaborated, "These figures are political, military, and business figures. CONTROL entrenched his authority by creating a climate of constant fear. A fear only he can relieve."

"But _who_ is CONTROL?" Superman was losing his temper again.

"You should know," Katana replied, "After all, you have opposed him on several occasions."

"Do you have a name?" J'onn inquired.

"His name is Vandal Savage," Katana disclosed at long last.

The room erupted into chaos at that point.


	6. Chapter 6

11 Justice League Convergence

The original active Founders decided to question Max. As the Justice League's United Nations delegate, Max would have voted on any resolutions creating a World Army and installing Vandal Savage as its titular head. L-Ron squeezed them into Max's itinerary, a good four hours after they made their request for a meeting, and got them into Max's office.

They met in a conference room adjacent to Max's personal office. Compared to Director Bones' it was a cramped and tiny affair. Even though the Justice League Unlimited was sanctioned by the UN, and deputized to be its enforcer, no national mission had wanted them to have offices inside the UN building. It had largely been felt that the JLU would spy on the delegates in an effort to entrap them in wrongdoing.

While this had been mere fantasy, it did relegate the JLU delegation to the backwater rooms of the UN. They got what was available simply because no other nation would accept the quarters. But since, the JLU didn't have a national dignity or prestige to defend; they'd taken what they could get.

L-Ron served refreshments while Max inquired as to what was wrong. After all, the mere demeanor of the Founders gave away that they were agitated over something. Superman opened his mouth but Diana squeezed his arm, quelling whatever statement he was about to make.

J'onn was the appointed spokesperson because he'd always maintained a fairly genial working relationship with Max, "Max, did you ever participate in a resolution vote to establish a so-called 'World Army'?"

"Of course," Max admitted rather amiably.

"And you didn't tell us?" Shayera snapped.

"It never came up," Max said easily. Seeing the glares he received, he leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table, "Look, over the past few years Earth has been attacked by some fairly heavy hitters. While the Justice League has so far managed to repulse each and every invasion there's no guarantee that you'll be able to do so every time. In short, if you fail, the people of this planet want to go down fighting."

"That may be so," J'onn intoned, "But does that justify placing a man such as Vandal Savage at the head of this army?"

Max sighed, "I know it looks bad. But Savage had some good points to make regarding the creation of such a force."

"Of course he did," Diana remarked, "It is his dream come true."

"Diana, Savage doesn't run the United Nations. Just its army," Max pointed out.

"But doesn't every UN agency report to this army?" John sharply inquired.

"Well, I guess that's true," Max confided, "But a report isn't the same as answering to an authority. The World Army serves in an advisory capacity when it comes to the various agencies. There are a lot of security concerns in today's world. To be blunt, meta-humans just complicate that factor."

"I thought was what the DEO was for," Shayera remarked.

"It is," Max confirmed it, "But the DEO is simply for the investigation and classification of potential threats. But look at it this way, the JLU is classified as 'benign' but what if that changed? You people would be a helluva threat."

"Which is where Checkmate comes in apparently," J'onn stated.

Max smirked, "Like I said, 'helluva threat'."

"C'mon Max, you've worked with us for two years now," Flash implored, "You still don't trust us?"

"Of course I trust you," Max assured him, "But I trust you to do what you think is best. What if that is different from the commonly accepted good? Wouldn't you be considered a rogue element at that point?"

"This is pointless!" Superman raged, "Where is Savage?"

Max scrutinized him, "Are you certain you're up to par?"

"Answer the question, Max. Or I'll…" Superman snarled before Diana cut him off.

"Give him a chance to answer," she suggested, "Please?"

Superman subsided and Max had his confirmation that Savage's plan was working, "If I knew, I'd tell you. Honestly. But they haven't told me for precisely that reason."

Max looked at J'onn, "A precaution in case of telepathic probes. In fact, no one in this building knows where CONTROL is headquartered."

"You can't be serious," Shayera snorted.

"He is," J'onn stated with a sense of finality, "Max is hiding a great deal from me but that cognizant fact is standing out in his mind."

"What's Waller know?" Flash suddenly asked.

"I guess you'd have to ask her," Max recommended, "But I can guess that whatever it is, she doesn't like it."

* * *

Amanda Waller had been in the midst of preparing the final elements of Checkmate. The President had agreed to utilize ARGUS as the umbrella administrative authority over the UN agency. Waller had protested but she was merely an advisor to ARGUS these days. She still had considerable oversight but she was no longer in the direct chain of command.

But since the JLU and Checkmate were both sanctioned by the UN, Waller was given greater latitude with Checkmate. Colonel Steve Trevor was the formal agency director but she was the informal director over the director. But things had already gone FUBAR.

Orders direct from POTUS handed over ARGUS to UN authorities, specifically the World Army. There was no way in hell Waller would hand Checkmate over to Vandal Savage. The man was a proven menace. His con job to the General Assembly notwithstanding, he was a power hungry cretin and the idiots at the UN had just given him the keys to conquering the world.

Checkmate was up and running, its roster finally completed. Steve Trevor had convinced the Freedom Fighters to join the fold. That added considerable firepower the nascent agency. The Freedom Fighters had formed up during World War II. The Justice Society had secured America while the Freedom Fighters had actually fought overseas.

A joint Nazi-Japanese experimental weapon had supposedly disintegrated the Freedom Fighters with one single shot. Fortunately that shot had caused a feedback loop that destroyed the weapon and its designers. But like what had happened with Superman a few years ago at the hands of the Toyman, the Freedom Fighters had simply moved through time.

They'd reappeared six months ago. ARGUS had been summoned by the DEO and took custody of the displaced masked adventurers. The collected Freedom Fighters no longer recognized the world they now inhabited but they knew they wanted to help secure its continuation. Membership in Checkmate had been an easy sell.

Lt. Colonel Rick Flagg served as Checkmate's field commander. The original commander of both incarnations of Task Force X, Flagg's experience with the criminally based Suicide Squad made him a perfect fit for the job. No mission was too daunting for Flagg. He would undertake any mission if he was convinced it would safeguard America and the world. And he'd throw anyone under the bus if he felt it was necessary.

King Faraday was now Checkmate's Chief of Intelligence. Nightshade's mentor had served US interest throughout the roughest parts of the world. He knew the spying game as well as anyone. Trained as both a field operative and an analyst, his unique qualifications had secured him this posting.

But while Checkmate was now officially up and running, its command authority situation was still in the air as far as Waller was concerned. She was prepared to tell POTUS to shove it up his ass, respectfully of course. She called Max and demanded a meet with Savage. Max conceded with a chuckle. Waller didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

Waller was greeted at the anteroom leading to Max's office. She was rather dismayed that L-Ron was now slavishly doting on "Lord Maxwell". She felt a little irked and more than just a little betrayed by his subservient attitude towards Max. Vandal Savage was already in Max's office.

"Director Waller, how can I assist you?" Savage cordially asked.

"You can back the hell off of Checkmate," Waller demanded.

Savage smiled, "I'm afraid I can't do that. Checkmate was created at the UN's behest. As a security organ, it falls under the auspices of my command."

"Bullshit," Waller retorted, "The Justice League is the UN's frontline security organ and you're hands off with them."

"For now," Savage revealed, "Their status as an independent city-state, and therefore accorded national sovereignty privileges, will be revisited very soon."

"You hear that, Max? CONTROL wants to eliminate your job," Waller pointed out.

Max shrugged, "I'm certain other opportunities will arise."

"You always were a prick, Max. But I didn't know even you would stoop to this level of treachery," Waller accused.

"Will you cede authority over Checkmate to my offices?" Savage asked.

"Like hell I will," Waller declared.

"Then I believe this meeting is concluded," Savage dismissed her.

* * *

Waller was livid over the affront. She returned to her official car and drove off. Knowing she couldn't go home she headed for an ARGUS safe house. En route, she called Steve Trevor.

"Colonel Trevor, this is a Code Delta situation. You have to evac the facility. Send everyone underground. Don't expect to hear from me again. Remember your mandate and act accordingly. Do you copy?"

The line went dead and Waller knew CONTROL had cut her communications. As she headed for the safe house, she wondered how deep inside ARGUS the World Army had already penetrated. She'd warned Checkmate but now she needed to warn the Justice League. The safe house she was headed for had a spare signal device in the safe. She cursed herself for not carrying hers with her at all times.

The perimeter of the safe house looked clear. But when she entered it, a horde of World Army troopers descended on her. They restrained her and threw a hood over her head. She tried to keep track of the time but she barely had a rough estimate of how long she'd been on the road when she was yanked out of the car and hustled into a building. Her handcuffs were released and she heard a door lock behind as she pulled the hood off.

It was featureless room with no windows. A single cot sat alongside a wall. There was a toilet but no sink. Cameras were posted in every corner. Waller snorted. She hoped they enjoyed the show when she peed. She was here for the duration. All she could do was try and get comfortable.

* * *

Two days later, the JSA Founders were holding a training session at the K-Star ranch. The Marvel Family had been excused due to an important civil function in Fawcett City. The Black Marvels were joining them. Osiris was meeting Alexandra Kent for the first time. Black Adam and Isis had high hopes for what may occur.

Surprisingly to some present, Hourman, Jesse Quick, and Hawkman participated in the training session. Hawkman was still recuperating from his stab wound but he wanted the exercise. Stargirl and STRIPE were involved as well. Stargirl needed the practice with the ever growing combined might of the Cosmic Rod and the Cosmic Convertor Belt. STRIPE was involved because, although Mike had the technical systems down cold, he needed improvement on working with teammates and on appropriate tactical responses.

Commander Steel and Judomaster trained as well. It was blatantly obvious to everyone that they could hardly keep their eyes off of each other. But despite the distraction, no one could lay a hand on Judomaster.

Cyclone and King Chimera were equally distracted. But both were giving it their all as best they could. Mr. America and Red Beetle were much better at staying focused on the exercises at hand. Which surprised all around because they all knew how deeply involved the pair had become in such a short time.

Ri had taken Lightning under her wing once again. Ri's self appointed mission was to teach Lightning the art of self defense. It had recently become woefully apparent just how badly Lightning lacked in this area.

Vibe was the one member who hadn't briefly belonged to the Justice Society. But he was one of the least experienced members of the League. So he joined in with the others.

* * *

Inside the command center, Solomon Grundy stood watch. Roxy spoke with him while he dutifully guarded Roxy's systems and Mike's control unit. While Mike was wholly focused on operating the STRIPE mecha, Roxy was multitasking. She'd been asked to track CONTROL and his World Army down.

The World Army was starting to pop up on the grid. They featured in several highly classified exchanges between CONTROL and the President of the United States. CONTROL was demanding that ARGUS turn over the Checkmate program. POTUS argued that every member of the Checkmate agency had gone underground. They'd literally disappeared.

While Roxy found all of this interesting, it did little to aid her in tracing the origin point of Vandal Savage's communications. Savage had literally bounced his communiqué off of servers spanning the globe. A rather terse audio intercept from a phone call had also been routed through various telecommunications hubs and satellites. In other words, Roxy was stumped.

It was feeling she'd never had before. And she found she didn't like it. Roxy opted on a gamble. She queried CONTROL and waited for a reply while she kept the line of communication open. The problem was this left her vulnerable to an attack.

While Roxy's firewall was advanced beyond human science, an attack would still divert processors to analyzing and fending off the attack. And if CONTROL were as intelligent as she was beginning to fear, then such an attack may prove imminent. It would probably come anyway at some point. She would just be escalating his timetable.

Roxy had no illusions that her existence was a secret. The DEO had been fully briefed on her capabilities. And according to Director Bones, the DEO was in Vandal Savage's pocket. That meant CONTROL was well aware of Roxy and the threat that she represented. Still, she plunged ahead.

She felt the ping from CONTROL's servers acknowledging her query. A handshake was followed by a data stream. Roxy analyzed the data…and that's when the attack began. Grundy was startled by Roxy's avatar screaming and then vanishing altogether.

* * *

The Justice League members were gathered in a clearing. They'd just finished a tactical exercise where two teams faced each other. Now the JSA Founders were critiquing the teams' performances. Wildcat suggested they change things up. It was time for the entire group to face the Founders.

Before that could happen a red streak slammed into Jay. Rival stood over him laughing, "What's a matter, Flash? Have you grown old?"

Jesse started forward but Jay waved her off, "I've got this, Jesse!"

Jay got to his feet and rubbed his jaw, "It seems you still pack a punch yourself, Rival. Are you here alone or did you drag friends into it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Rival laughed, "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll pay Joan a visit."

Rival streaked off as Jay yelled, "No!"

"Jay! Wait!" Sentinel shouted.

"He's after my wife!" Jay yelled back as he took off.

"Head's up, kids!" Wildcat advised, "That scum rarely works alone."

"Too true!" the Wizard said as he appeared in their midst. He waved his wand and a tree grew under Sentinel. It branches entwined around him and began to squeeze.

"Feeling uncomfortable, Green Lantern? Or is it Sentinel these days?" Wizard mocked him.

"You'll think tight," Wildcat growled as he went for the Wizard. The Wizard disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Wildcat was suddenly struck by an electrical blast. It knocked him over and he was rising when Killer Wasp flew in.

"Lemme guess, you're the Yellow Wasp all over again." Wildcat said sourly.

"Close meathead," Killer Wasp rasped, "I'm his son. I go by Killer Wasp. I think you're about to find out why."

"Got any tricks besides that electro sting of yours?" Wildcat wondered.

Killer Wasp landed and put his fists up in a classic boxing stance, "I've waited for this day my whole life, old man."

"Yeah, I just bet you were weaned on stories of my kicking your dad's ass," Wildcat taunted.

"Nice try," Killer Wasp chuckled, "I'm not my father. I'm not going to lose my temper because you made fun of me."

"Then let's see what you've got then," Wildcat moved in.

Killer Wasp responded with a left jab to the gut and a right cross that made Wildcat see stars. He backed away, "Okay, so you ain't your pops."

"Get used to it because I've got a lifetime of payback to dish out," Killer wasp warned.

Wildcat began to wonder if he truly did.

* * *

Tigress and Icicle came sliding into the clearing on an ice ramp. Tigress leapt off of the ramp and kicked Jesse in the face. Icicle shot ice darts at Hourman.

Hourman ducked and tapped his wristband. The homeopathic variant of Miraclo that he used began to course through his bloodstream. Since he only gained an hour of superhuman strength, and could only take a maximum of four doses a day, he'd refrained from doing so during the training exercises. Now Icicle was facing a supercharged human being with reflexes to match.

Icicle decided to simply end it quick and froze Hourman in place. He figured by the time Hourman thawed out his Miraclo would have worn off long ago. So he settled in to watch his wife kill Hourman's.

* * *

Tigress came at Jesse with a pair of handguns. She opened fire and sent a full salvo at Jesse as the speedster outran the bullets. Tigress dropped the guns and pulled a crossbow free from her belt. Jesse wheeled on her and knocked the crossbow out of Tigress' hand. Tigress lashed out with a punch that sent Jesse stumbling backwards.

"Just who are you?" Jesse inquired.

"I'm the Tigress," she announced, "Just like you're the daughter of Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, I'm the daughter of the first Tigress and the Sportsmaster. Our parents used to rock and roll just like this."

"And who's the popsicle?" Jesse asked.

Tigress chuckled, "Just like Hourman is the son of the first one, so Icicle is the son of the original. He's also my husband so watch your mouth."

"And he's frozen mine. So don't expect much courtesy from me," Jesse remarked.

"Touché," Tigress grinned, "But I'm still going to hang your head over my mantle."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Jesse wondered.

Jesse couldn't believe anyone besides herself and the Flashes could move so fast when Tigress whipped her left hand around and fired a second crossbow. The bolt imbedded itself in Jesse's leg. The searing pain almost took her leg out from underneath her.

Tigress smirked, "I do believe I've clipped your proverbial wings."

* * *

Geo-Mancer burst out of the ground and the terrain rolled like a wave. The JLers were knocked off of their feet. Commander Steel and Judomaster were the first two up.

"Help the Founders!" Commander Steel urged the others, "Judomaster and I will take this one."

"Oh really?" Geo-Mancer scornfully mocked him, "Sand is the only one of you that stands a chance against my powers. And I'm sorry to say, you aren't him."

"So you can toss around dirt," Commander Steel retorted, "So what?"

An earthen hand rose up and grasped Commander Steel. It closed into a fist and began to squeeze. Geo-Mancer grinned.

"Any other smart remarks, wise ass?" Geo-Mancer inquired.

Judomaster's foot slammed into Geo-Mancer's mouth, "Yes, you talk too much."

"So the babe shows herself," Geo-Mancer's wiped the blood from his split lip, "Let's see what you've got."

He tried the hand trick again but Judomaster deftly avoided it. And again a second time. Finally Geo-Mancer unleashed a veritable tidal wave of dirt. Judomaster was buried within it.

Commander Steel broke the earthen hand that held him. He smashed his fist into Geo-Mancer's mouth, "You'd better pray she's still alive."

"Aw, true love," Geo-Mancer said disdainfully, "How're you going to hurt me after I do this?"

A sinkhole opened up beneath Commander Steel and he was swallowed by it. The surrounding dirt collapsed into it and filled it up. Geo-Mancer looked around and saw that Johnny Sorrow had finally appeared. Now things were going to get interesting.

* * *

Johnny Sorrow chuckled as he surveyed the crowd arrayed in front of him, "This is what the Justice Society became. Pathetic. I can't believe you killed the King of Tears."

Johnny Sorrow reached for his mask. As he grasped it, Vibe yelled out, "Watch out! He's dimensionally shifting into…!"

Johnny Sorrow ripped his mask free and the horror that was now his face was fully revealed. That's when the screaming began.

* * *

Stargirl remembered from her last encounter not to look at Johnny Sorrow's face. It would literally kill you. So she was surprised when her legs got kicked out from underneath her. Courtney twisted so that she landed facing away from Johnny Sorrow.

"Aren't we a little too well informed?" Shiv mused, "You're supposed to be looking at Sorrow, Blondie."

"Cindy?" Stargirl couldn't believe her one and only archenemy was with these clowns.

Shiv grabbed hold of Courtney's hair and pulled her head back. Her armor popped a blade out of her forearm, "That's Shiv to you. Remember it for the last two seconds of your life."

Stargirl aimed a gloved hand at Shiv's face and unloaded a load of energy stars thanks to the Cosmic Convertor Belt. Shiv screamed as she was repulsed backwards by the pain. Stargirl scooped up the Cosmic Rod and got to her feet. Aiming the end of the rod at Shiv, she made certain she still wasn't facing Johnny Sorrow.

"You were always such a bitch, _Cindy_," Stargirl proclaimed.

"You should know, _Courtney_," Shiv shot back.

"So are we gonna do this?" Stargirl inquired.

Blades erupted out of virtually every surface of Shiv's armor," You know it, baby."

Through it all, Stargirl couldn't help but wonder where the hell was STRIPE?


	7. Chapter 7

12 Justice League Convergence

"You knew about CONTROL and the World Army and you didn't inform us?" J'onn asked tersely.

"It seemed prudent to gather hard evidence since you typically dismiss my investigations as flights of fancy," Question calmly replied.

His collaborators seemed to be taking their cue from the Question. The Huntress, Anna Fortune, and Atom Smasher were completely unruffled. They were also completely unrepentant. J'onn admired the former and detested the latter.

"Very well, what have you discovered?" J'onn tried switching tactics.

"Very little beyond what Katana already told you. Max Lord's complicity is well established. Amanda Waller's is far less clear. I've actually heard rumors that the World Army has detained her," Question shared.

"Why?" J'onn was surprised.

"For refusing to hand over Checkmate's reins of power," Question revealed, "My informant also revealed that Waller had learned of a UN initiative to remove the Justice League's legal status as a city-state."

"For what reason?" J'onn inquired.

"Presumably to put the JLU under the World Army's jurisdiction," Question surmised, "In other words, directly under Vandal Savage's thumb."

"I see," J'onn did indeed, "I need to confer with the Founders and the command staff."

"Take your time despite the fact we don't have any. Max Lord needs to be removed from his post. Sooner is much better than later," Question spoke.

J'onn was uncertain of how to reply when Sue burst into the conference room, "J'onn we have a situation."

Sue noted the Question and the Huntress' presence, "Good, you two are already here. You'll be needed for this."

"May I ask why?" J'onn inquired.

"Alfred Pennyworth has contacted us from Wayne Manor. Bruce Wayne has been taken hostage," Sue informed them all.

"Indeed," the Question mused with some delight, "This distraction should prove amusing."

Sue ignored his obvious delight, "I've already called in Nightwing and Catwoman. They'll be transiting to the scene through their own vehicles."

"If I may, can I suggest yet another member for this little errand of mercy?" Question wondered.

"Who would you suggest?" J'onn spoke before Sue could remark.

"Katana," Question stated. The Huntress began nodding her approval.

"Why?" Sue wanted to know.

"Because I am safe in assuming that costumed foes are on scene, correct?" Question asked.

"Alfred reported the presence of Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, a duplicate Bruce Wayne, and two unknown assailants. One male and a female dressed as a provocative rabbit," Sue reported.

"Provocative rabbit?" Huntress snorted.

Sue's shrugged, "Alfred's words."

"Katana has demonstrated a singular talent for dealing with enemies," Question reminded them.

"According to Shayera she skewers them," Sue retorted, "As the body count on the cruise ship attests to."

"I do believe Katana had Ri's assistance in that case," Question remarked.

"They shouldn't be on this damn team!" Sue snapped.

"You said the same about Catwoman yet now you sing her praises," Question pointed out.

Sue literally growled. J'onn intervened, "Katana's addition to the team is approved. Sue, will you contact her and prepare a teleport transition for her from San Francisco to Gotham City?"

"I had a rendezvous with Barbara Gordon. She is going to be joined by Nightwing and Catwoman and they are going to convoy everyone to Wayne Manor," Sue informed him.

"They still can," J'onn dryly observed.

"All right," Sue said snippily and she retreated out of the office.

"What about Al and I?" Anna interjected.

"Atom Smasher will be put on standby status," J'onn disclosed, "You, however, will be joining Zatanna and Jakeem Thunder at Fate's Tower. Since it is your actual home, I'm certain you will feel comfortable there."

"Of course," Anna said merrily, "I'm sure Khalid will appreciate the company. Ever since Nabu chose him as the new human host for Fate, he's been moping around the place like a sullen schoolboy."

"Then he and Jakeem should get on famously," J'onn quipped.

It was said so straight-faced that it took everyone but Anna a moment to realize he was joking. As it was, Anna's eyes danced with mirth. She was finally entering the Martian's inner circle.

"I'll spare the teleport technicians the hassle," Anna stood. She leaned down and kissed the seated Atom Smasher, "Keep the faith, Handsome Stranger."

And then she was enveloped by a ball of energy and the bubble suddenly popped and she was missing. Question muttered to himself, "She _has_ to teach me that."

* * *

Bruce Wayne was taken hostage by the merest of flukes. Alfred went from serving lunch, which Bruce had insisted on eating with Alfred to opening the front door. To his utter shock and surprise, he was confronted by another Bruce Wayne.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred tentatively asked.

"Not quite," the ersatz "Bruce" broke into a vicious smile that Alfred knew his charge was incapable of.

The duplicate Bruce pushed past Alfred. As he did so, Poison Ivy became revealed. Behind her strode a woman so pale that she was almost an albino. Her platinum locks and pink eyes certainly suggested albinism. And her garb was utterly disgraceful in the way it displayed her womanly attributes.

Alfred depressed the silent alarm button located next to the coat closet. In the breakfast nook, the multiple red lights hidden around the room began to flash. Bruce was immediately on his feet.

The bay window next to the table suddenly froze and a hurled object shattered it. Bruce looked beyond the frozen and broken ruin of the window and spotted two figures. They were both familiar.

Mr. Freeze was a longstanding foe of Batman. The second appeared to be a modernized version of the Red Hood. This startled Bruce. Batman had already confronted one Red Hood. That Red Hood had been dropped into a vat at Axis Chemicals and transformed into the lunatic known as the Joker. Since he knew the Joker was dead, who was the imposter?

Mr. Freeze took aim with his cold gun and Bruce broke for the door. The china hutch behind where he'd stood froze over. Bruce was indignant as he slammed into the door and broke it down. The china in that hutch had been his mother's and some of the pieces had even belonged to his maternal grandmother.

Bruce came upon the fateful trio in the parlor. He assumed his double was really Clayface. The fact that his arm elongated and formed a scythe confirmed it. He ducked under Clayface's swing and went for Poison Ivy and the mysterious rabbit woman.

"Bruce, stop!" Ivy commanded.

Bruce found himself grinding to a halt. He struggled with all of his physical and mental might but he'd been a thrall to Ivy's brand of lipstick before. But when had he been dosed?

"Aw, poor baby," White Rabbit said sympathetically, "It's horrible to be a prisoner in a body that's no longer your own. Trust me, I can relate."

"I don't even know who you are," Bruce grated.

She flashed a seductive smile, "Most call me the White Rabbit. But you can call me anything you want."

Bruce just gave her a glare while Ivy smirked. Clayface resumed his "Bruce" guise in its entirety, "I'd better round up the butler."

"Yes, we can't have him answering the front door. That's _your_ job," Ivy reminded him.

"Meh," Clayface bellyached as he trudged off.

"All right, Bruce. Sit!" Ivy ordered. Bruce plopped into a wingback.

Mr. Freeze and the Red Hood entered the parlor. Red Hood's voice was modulated as he spoke, "The front door was open. I've taken care of that."

"Now we just have to keep them off the east lawn," White Rabbit remarked, "Otherwise they'll spot a large hole in an otherwise unmolested wall."

"You have Wayne," Mr. Freeze said in his chilly monotone, "What does it matter how it was accomplished?"

"Because stately Wayne Manor is equipped with a silent alarm system," White Rabbit revealed, "Clayface literally shoved the butler into its trigger. I can only assume that it was activated. That would explain dear Bruce knocking the door down to get in here. That and you're overzealous insistence upon trying to capture him yourself."

"Why should I answer to you?" Mr. Freeze was indifferent to her chastisement, "Who are you anyway?"

"Haven't we already done the meet and greet?" White Rabbit quipped.

"Look, the first goal has been accomplished. When Batman arrives we can achieve the next. Any so-called 'Bat Clan' members that happen our way will be eliminated as well," Red Hood tried to soothe the building tensions.

"You may be our Injustice League representative, dear heart," White Rabbit smirked, "But that doesn't grant you any authority."

"I'm the only one here that has command experience," Red Hood argued.

"And you betrayed your team to the League of Assassins. Nyssa Raatko rewarded you by creating your new guise and keeping you in mind until the Injustice League arose and needed another member," White Rabbit retorted, "And yes, I know all about your sordid little history with Batman. That's why I'm willing to let you pull the trigger. But if you even consider turning on us as you did the Outsiders, I'll end you."

Bruce's ears perked up. The Outsiders had been a super team that formed after the Justice League came together. Not surprising since they'd been put together by Jason Todd.

Batman had encountered Jason Todd while he was trying to steal the custom wheels off of the Batmobile. He'd fought with Batman rather than attempt a futile flight from him. The boy had been well trained and Dick had left Gotham City for a world tour, abandoning the Robin guise as he departed.

Batman briefly considered training Jason to be the next Robin. But the boy had been consumed by rage. The possibility of his losing control and killing someone had been too real. So he cut Jason off after a few months of training.

Jason had then adopted his own costumed persona of Red Bird and gathered other costumed adventurers. Only three people survived the ambush that decimated the Outsiders. And as far as Bruce knew, Katana, Speedy, and Metamorpho still weren't discussing the event.

Now it seemed there was a fourth survivor. The very one that had led the others into a fatal trap. Bruce had a guess as to who it was but he wanted to know for certain.

Clayface returned, "The butler's gone."

"This is a big house. He could easily elude you," White Rabbit opined. She turned to Ivy, "Take the boys and show them how it's done."

"You heard the bunny," Ivy said, "It's time for a hard target, room by room search."

"I don't do searches," Mr. Freeze haughtily declared.

"But you do blow holes in walls?" Ivy snarkily asked.

"It was a window," Mr. Freeze said tonelessly.

"Who cares?" Ivy wondered, "Now there's a draft. And it's one our target can escape through. If you won't search, you'll guard the hole."

"Very well," Mr. Freeze conceded.

He re-entered the dining nook and Ivy gave White Rabbit a longsuffering look, "The fragility of the male ego."

"This too shall pass," White Rabbit assured her.

Ivy and the others began their search. Bruce knew they wouldn't find Alfred. He was already in the Bat Cave. He'd secured the clock door and was summoning help. Bruce just wished he could clue his would-be rescuers into who they would be facing.

"Don't worry. I won't let them harm you. I like you," White Rabbit reassured him, "Our issue is with Batman. Unfortunately for you, you fund Batman's little endeavors. So this makes you a target. But you won't be for long, I promise."

White Rabbit pointed a finger down into Bruce's shoulder and sized him up and she circled around him. Her smile reminded Bruce that real rabbits were highly sexualized creatures. It seemed their human namesakes might be as well.

"You do stay in shape," White Rabbit said with some delight, "Most billionaires just let themselves go. They're so obsessed with making money they forget that the best activities require endurance."

White Rabbit suddenly wrapped her arms around Bruce from behind. She whispered into his ear, "Do you like to play games? Because I do. And my new favorite is 'what turns Bruce on'?"

Bruce suddenly knew he was in for a ride.

* * *

Nightwing rode up to Barbara's position on his motorcycle. Selina Kyle's Porsche was already parked beside Lt. Gordon's unmarked police cruiser. Nightwing wasn't sure he should approve or not.

Catwoman had come a long way in her tenure with the Justice League. She'd surprised everyone. Even Batman, who had subsequently bedded her for a time. He supposed the fact that she was privy to all of Batman's secrets made her a natural ally.

The Question and the Huntress were also privy to Batman's other identity as well. But Katana wasn't and Nightwing objected, "What's she doing here?"

Katana was impassive as the Question answered, "I requested her presence."

"You know what's at stake here," Nightwing retorted, "She's a threat. Besides, she'll probably dice everyone up."

"She's well aware of the Justice League's usual methods of operation. She's willing to abide by that code," Question assured him.

"I still…" Nightwing grated.

"Nightwing," Barbara intervened, "Katana briefly worked with Black Canary and a woman called Starling in Gotham. She's knows what to do. She's possibly even better than Black Canary."

Nightwing knew the high esteem Barbara held Dinah Lance in. To say that took a lot. He nodded his acceptance of the situation.

"I'm probably outvoted anyway," Nightwing dryly remarked, "So who's in charge?"

"I am," Barbara informed him.

"Excuse me, _Lieutenant_. But you aren't a JLer," Nightwing protested. The unspoken _anymore_ came across loud and clear.

"Nevertheless, the situation is a reality," Barbara replied, "Call Sue or J'onn if you want to argue the point."

"I know enough to know I'll lose," Nightwing allowed, "So what's the plan?"

"You and Catwoman will seek out an alternative entrance," Barbara covertly referenced the Batmobile's entrance to the Bat Cave, "The rest of us will approach from the front gate and see what happens."

"That could be dangerous. Bruce Wayne isn't defenseless. If he's been taken, the opposition will be stiff. It's better to seek another way in," Nightwing advised.

"I'm not incompetent, Nightwing," Barbara scolded him, "I'm the only one that will knock on the front door. The others will flank either side of the manor and affect an entrance."

"I don't like it," Nightwing confessed.

"You don't have to like it," Barbara's voice was flinty; "You just have to do it."

Nightwing suddenly wondered what had happened to the Barbara Gordon that had once been Batgirl.

* * *

Barbara's cruiser had dropped the Question, the Huntress, and Katana off at the front gate. They were making their way towards the manor across the grounds. Question and Huntress were approaching from the south. Katana chose the northern approach. Barbara came straight in.

She knew Nightwing and Catwoman were probably in the Bat Cave already. The route to the cave was shorter than the manor's. She exited her car and knocked on the front door. To her surprise, Bruce answered.

"Can I help you, Lt. Gordon?" "Bruce" asked.

Barbara immediately knew this was an imposter. Bruce hadn't been overly friendly since the divorce but he still called her by her given name. Odds were this was Clayface.

Matt Hagen had been an enormously popular actor before the car accident that disfigured him. His obsession with staying attractive had led him to Roland Dagget. Dagget had been angered and immersed Hagen in the compound that transformed him into Clayface.

As Batgirl, Barbara had fought Clayface on more than one occasion. So she knew there was one way to be certain. If she was wrong, she could always apologize later.

She rammed her foot up into his genitals. Her boot plunged _into_ Clayface's body. Barbara pulled her foot free and backed up.

"Okay, Hagen. The game is up," Barbara declared.

"Aren't we just too clever?" Clayface chuckled. He shifted into his blob-like natural state, "You're going to wish you hadn't done that. All we wanted was Batman. But you'll be a nice bonus."

Barbara felt a sense of relief. She'd feared that Bruce's kidnappers had learned of his secret identity. If they had Bruce and were still expecting Batman to arrive, it meant they were still clueless. Weren't they in for a rude surprise?

Barbara knew her pistol, her taser, her CURB, and her handcuffs were useless against Clayface. So she broke and ran. Hopefully she could reach the pool before Clayface caught her. As her feet pounded across the lawn, she heard Clayface's cry of rage as he pursued.

* * *

Question and Huntress prowled through the trees. Some of them seemed to be new growth. They were much smaller and far suppler than the mighty oaks that dominated the grounds. They seemed to be a bizarre hybrid between a poplar and a weeping willow.

Suddenly the tree vines began wrapping around their limbs and torsos. Hefted into the air, the couple was suspended in mid-air with their arms outstretched from their bodies. Gentle laughter floated through the grove.

Poison Ivy strolled through the glen, "It seems my babies have caught intruders. Don't you know it isn't polite to skulk?"

"And it's better to hijack a house and hold hostages?" Huntress snapped.

Ivy gave her a pitying look, "Poor dear, it must really rile you to be helpless. All that rage is futile when you're hanging by a thread, isn't it? Of course, your need to control every situation explains your taste in men."

"You have no idea of what you're talking about," Huntress said in an eerily calm, still voice.

"Too bad I'll never know the truth then," Ivy said, "This trap was meant for Batman. You just happened to spring it. I guess I'll get my test run while these precious creations tear your arms and legs out of their sockets."

At Ivy's unspoken command, the trees began to pull.

* * *

Katana saw Barbara round the corner with Clayface on her heels. She briefly pondered aiding Lt. Gordon. She opted not to. She'd read Barbara's body language. There was far more to her than the surface indicated.

Gordon didn't move like your typical police officer. She moved with poise and grace of a samurai. Her eyes held the same kind of resolve and cunning. Gordon was a fighter. Katana rather pitied Clayface.

In order not be seen, Katana finished jimmying the poolside door. Sliding it open she entered into the manor. She moved with a stealth born of a lifetime of training and practice. She could walk across rice paper without leaving an imprint. These halls were simplicity itself.

She heard the controlled breathing of her foe before she spotted him. It was muffled somehow. She presumed it was because of a helmet or a heavy mask of some kind.

She swung around the corner to the foyer with the SoulTaker in motion. She missed…but just barely. Her opponent was obviously shaken by the experience.

Katana read his body language. The red helmet covering his face left her no alternative. Something else was bothering him and it wasn't his close call.

"It can't be," the Red Hood's modulated voice whispered, "You're dead."

"And how would you know this?" Katana wondered, apprehension filling her gut.

"Because I saw you die!" Red Hood declared.

Katana's world schismed. The only people that thought she was dead were those that had fled the demise of the Outsiders. Half of the assassin force had withdrawn when they thought victory was assured. No one that remained lived to refute that claim.

But now she had a survivor standing before her. She would get the name of the Outsiders' traitor from this wretch before he died. And then he would spend an eternity trapped within the SoulTaker.

"You have a name that I want," Katana was preternaturally calm; "I want it before you die."

"You mean _if_ I die," Red Hood replied.

"No, you _will_ die today. _How _easily you die is your choice," Katana promised, "Tell me who betrayed the Outsiders and I will kill you instantly."

"Not a chance in hell," Red Hood vowed.

"So be it," Katana said as though it were simplicity itself, "You have chosen the way of pain."

She attacked before Red Hood had even registered her last statement.

* * *

Nightwing and Catwoman emerged from the clock door. Alfred locked it again after they'd cleared it. Alfred had informed them that he had left Bruce in the dining nook. There were two access points to that room. One was through the parlor and the other was through the kitchen. Nightwing took the kitchen route while Catwoman made her approach through the parlor.

Nightwing swung the kitchen door open with a wingarang poised. The door suddenly froze. Its weight rent it off of its hinges and it shattered as it collapsed onto the floor. Mr. Freeze stood aloof at the other end of the room, inscrutable as ever.

"Predictable. We set a trap for Batman and we get his protégé. There is no justice," Mr. Freeze complained.

Nightwing hurled his wingarang at Mr. Freeze's helmet. It bounced off the clear enclosure. Nightwing suddenly realized that Freeze had upgraded his dome-like helmet. Glass would have at least cracked. There was a _thunk_ when the wingarang struck. It had to be a Plexiglas of some kind.

Mr. Freeze took aim again. Nightwing ducked into the kitchen. The doorway iced over. Nightwing grabbed a frying pan from the overhead rack. Mr. Freeze stepped into kitchen and aimed his weapon again. Nightwing rushed him but instead of shooting at his attacker, Mr. Freeze froze the floor.

Nightwing slipped on the icy surface, "Whoa!"

He landed at Mr. Freeze's feet. Freeze stared down at him, "Have you any words for posterity?"

Nightwing didn't respond so Mr. Freeze commented, "Pity."

Then he employed his cold gun.

* * *

Catwoman burst into the parlor only to find the White Rabbit still behind Bruce. One arm was wrapped around his neck and she was breathily whispering into his ear. Her other hand had slipped into his pants and there was a distinct jerking motion going on.

Catwoman was incensed. He was actually aroused by this shameless hussy. That was her job!

White Rabbit at least pulled her hand out of Bruce's pants as she stood. Catwoman was heartened to see Bruce's look of relief. White Rabbit's pink eyes were filled with anger.

"You're not Batman," she declared.

"What was your first clue?" Catwoman smarted off.

"Now, now, no need to be catty despite the obvious affectation," White Rabbit scolded her.

Catwoman pulled her whip off of her waist, "You've got two seconds, bitch."

White Rabbit stooped and wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck again, "Or what? You'll risk marring this handsome face? I don't think so. Now run away and find a litter box to call Batman from."

"This may surprise you, but I'm pretty damn good with this thing. Good enough to take your morbid little eye out without touching Bruce Wayne," Catwoman warned her.

"But how committed to your cause are you?" White Rabbit mused, "Are you willing to take the hostage out of the equation?"

"What are you talking about?" Catwoman impatiently demanded to know.

"Let's find out," White Rabbit decided. She kissed Bruce on the cheek, "I have faith in you, lover. Now kill Catwoman."

To Selina's shock and horror, Bruce rose from his chair and came at Catwoman.


	8. Chapter 8

10 Justice League Convergence

Talia al Ghul strode into the Legion of Doom's command center in the primary temple complex, "You wanted to see me?"

"Why, yes," Luthor said with a smarmy smile, "Let's step somewhere private."

"I'm not sure I trust being alone with you, Lex," Talia replied.

The barb seemed to have its effect. Luthor was much more sober and circumspect now, "Please, I have things that need to be said and they can't be overheard."

"Who are you betraying now?" Talia wondered.

"If you don't step aside with me, you'll never know," Luthor leveraged his position with her curiosity.

"Very well," Talia grimly conceded.

They stepped into an antechamber that had been converted into a conference room. Luthor waved her towards a seat. After she sat down, he took one across the table from her.

"I asked you here to clarify your position regarding Vandal Savage and his World Army," Luthor opened with.

"I have no position," Talia asserted.

"But your half-sister, Nyssa Raatko does. She's recruited an 'Injustice League' which is largely composed of agents from the League of Assassins."

"Nyssa is completely her own woman," Talia replied, "She was dismissed from the League of Shadows upon my father's death. She disagreed with my father's approach to cleansing the Earth, and since I'm continuing that quest with his methodologies, she needed to be set aside."

"I see," Luthor did for he'd felt much the same way after Talia had taken over LexCorp, "And what is the status of our professional relationship?"

"Do you mean because you killed Damian?" Talia asked with a cold smile.

Luthor wouldn't have ever have admitted it but that smile unnerved him, "You did threaten to kill me if I harmed your son."

"I don't have time to waste on a war of vengeance, Lex," Talia assured him.

"That's good to know," Luthor exulted in that knowledge.

"Don't presume to gloat just yet," Talia warned, "I _will_ kill you. Just not yet. For now, with Savage and Nyssa allied, it is best that we present a united front. Personal animosities can be dealt with later."

"Speaking of which, you wouldn't know what happened to _my_ son?" Luthor inquired a little too sharply.

"Something happened?" Talia asked innocently. Luthor _almost_ believed her.

"Yes, my retreat in Aspen was destroyed. Someone flew a Ferris Aircraft jet into it. But only after shooting the staff and security personnel each in the head. The aircraft was one of Ferris Aircraft's black books projects and Carol Ferris won't release who the craft was designed for or if they actually purchased it," Luthor shared. And then he smiled smugly, "But I think you already know the details."

"I left Metropolis during the Atlantean invasion and went to be with my father as he lay dying. Would you begrudge a daughter that duty?" Talia inquired.

"No, I guess not," Luthor declined to go there.

"Then we shall continue our association as before. I will inform you of when I am able to initiate my plans. You and your organization will be sheltered and then will assist me in reshaping the world and its population," Talia insisted.

"You know," Luthor said slyly, "We could both have more children. Perhaps we could have some together?"

Talia looked like she wanted to laugh, "Lex, I already have a lover. It is portable, vibrates, and always pleases me. Could you do the same?"

Luthor was affronted and Talia rubbed salt in the wound, "It may have an appetite for batteries but they are far less costly than you would be, I think."

Seeing Luthor had retreated into sullen silence, Talia rose; "So we're done here?"

"For now," Luthor said warily.

"Until later then," Talia strode out of the room.

Luthor mulled the meeting over. Ra's death had changed Talia. She'd always been a confident woman but she'd also had a compulsive need to please others. Probably stemming from always trying to live up to her father's expectations.

That had changed. Talia was now filled with an assurance that rivaled her late father's. In fact, even her speech patterns had altered to resemble his. It was like Ra's was speaking through Talia's voice. If Luthor had only known the truth…

* * *

Luthor met up with Grodd in the command center, "Are we ready?"

"The three teams are assembled and ready to deploy. Our reserve is standing by," Grodd assured him.

"And Captain Cold is aware of his allies in Gotham?" Luthor wanted to know.

"As are Lashina in Metropolis and the Brain in Fawcett City," Grodd replied.

"Dr. Sivana didn't object to being under Brain's command did he?" Luthor wondered.

"Both Sivana and Mr. Mind were indignant at first but I mollified them by making them the strategic mission commanders," Grodd revealed.

Luthor was amused, "And what exactly does that mean?"

Grodd shrugged, "I have no idea but they bought into it. That's what counts."

Luthor picked a tablet computer off of a table and perused its display, "You altered Fawcett City's team."

"Our spotters reported the the Black Marvel Family is present as well as the Marvel Family. Since Justice League reinforcements are guaranteed, I opted to throw more bodies into the mix," Grodd admitted.

"It looks good," Luthor conceded, "Now we just have to see who the League throws their way."

"You'll be interested to know Poison Ivy reports the White Rabbit's team has engaged a group from the JLU," Grodd reported.

"But you sound like Batman is missing," Luthor realized.

"He is," Grodd confirmed it.

"I wonder why?" Luthor mused, "Is it possible that Batman has thrown up a distraction while he prepares a definitive strike?"

"I suppose that's possible," Grodd agreed, "Then again, he may be downplaying his connection with Wayne. If Bruce Wayne's funding of Batman became public knowledge, Wayne would be an everyday target."

"It couldn't happen to a nicer fellow," Luthor chuckled, "And the Injustice Society?"

"Savage reported Roxy tried to access World Army files. The attack upon her began and Savage signaled Johnny Sorrow and presumably the strike on the K-Star Ranch began as well," Grodd divulged.

Luthor smiled triumphantly, "Then I suppose that our strikes should begin as well."

Grodd lifted a transmitter and keyed it, "You're a go."

The sound of boom tubes filled the temple complex. Luthor turned to Calendar Man, "Access the satellites. I want real time visuals."

"Yes, my lord and master," Calendar Man quipped.

"Now that's more like it," Luthor said appreciatively.

* * *

The Rogues cut a swath through downtown Gotham City. The GCPD was helpless to stop them. But added to their numbers were nineteen other Legionnaires. Professor Zoom delighted himself with stripping entire squads of police officers of their weapons in a matter of seconds.

Bizarro stood at the far end of the street destroying all in his path. Atomic Skull fought beside him. The others stood by as Black Spider scaled to the rooftops to set up a shooting post. Through it all they knew that members of the Injustice League were setting up a potentially lethal ambush for the JLU.

The Justice League teleported into the hole in the Legionnaires' midst. It was a tactical gamble. Shayera and John knew that they could very well be setting down into a trap but they felt it was better to spring it early so they could know exactly what they faced at the outset.

Shayera and John both took flight and headed for the Rogues. Despite plans to the contrary, the Flash also pursued the Rogues, feeling that his expertise could prove vital. What they hadn't counted was the Rogues were expecting experienced foes.

Captain Cold opened fire at Shayera. His cryo streams herded closer to the ground. Shayera recognized the what if not the why of it. The closer she got to Captain Cold, the easier it would be to strike him with her mace.

The Golden Glider came in from above and skated between Shayera's wings and shoulder blades. The skates slashed into Shayera's back and she let out an unwilling grunt of pain. The Golden Glider's skates had a secondary effect that surprised the Thanagarian. They froze the base of her wings. Shayera crashed into the pavement.

As Shayera got to her feet, Captain Cold froze her ankles into place. Grimacing, Shayera smashed the ice with her mace. She wheeled on Captain Cold only to find the Golden Glider skating a rising circle around her. The skates left behind an ice trail and that trail formed a pretty little cage.

Shayera smashed her way through the ice and confronted the Top. He wore a self satisfied smile, "You're about to wish you'd never fallen out of the sky."

"And you're about to wish you had dentures handy," Shayera growled.

Then the Top began to spin. The residual centrifugal force blew her back. The stirred air currents propelled her even further. Shayera was eventually bowled over.

Shayera was attempting to rise and get her bearings when the Golden Glider skated over her again. This time the cuts bit deeply into her lower back. Shayera felt it time to end this so she flexed her wings and found they were still stiff from the cold.

The temperature around Shayera began to rapidly drop. She saw that Captain Cold was hitting her with a widespread cryo blast. She pushed off of her feet like a sprinter, raised her mace, and darted towards Captain Cold. She was frozen within five steps.

"Some people never learn," Captain Cold chuckled.

* * *

John was oblivious to his wife's plight because he was facing three threats of his own. Heat Wave's thermal gun wasn't even a challenge. But the idiot loser had opened fire on civilians trying to evacuate the surrounding buildings. So John was hard pressed to protect them.

Complicating matters was the fact that the Mirror Master supported him. Every attempt that John made to snatch or disable Heat Wave, Mirror Master reflected back at John. John was just grateful at this point that Mirror Master wasn't impeding the evacuations or John's coverage of them.

The final element of this triad of evil was the Weather Wizard. He'd brought in a localized storm front that was hammering at John. John was literally battling a hurricane that only stretched half a city block. When John moved, so did the weather system.

Heat Wave continued his barrage at Gotham's citizens. Meanwhile Weather Wizard approached Mirror Master. The elemental master conjured something into Mirror Master's shield-like mirror. John already dreaded finding out what was going to happen.

But he thought he should take Heat Wave out while Mirror Master was distracted. John constructed a jet engine. Its exhaust bled back on Heat Wave. Heat Wave's protective suit sheltered him but he was blown across the street and through the neighboring window.

While John was thinking how much Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris would have appreciated his method of dealing Heat Wave, that's when Mirror Master struck. He used the mirrored shield to reflect the jet exhaust. It travelled up John's connective force beam back at him. John couldn't stop it or shut it down.

When it reached him, he discovered that an entire weather system travelled within it. It was inside of his personal field so he was struck with a hurricane contained within his personal shield. John was knocked into a stupor and fell helplessly to the ground.

"Now we finish him," Weather Wizard gloated.

* * *

The third member of the Justice League's remaining trinity was on the move. Captain Boomerang was hurling one boomerang after another at him. They all had some gimmick but Flash just dodged past every one of them. He raced in and hit Captain Boomerang with enough kinetic force to nearly take the Australian's head off.

Trickster scampered back and whimpered. Flash was stern with him, "Now James, are we off of the medication reservation again?"

Trickster mutely nodded. Flash folded his arms across his chest, "Then don't you want to go back to the hospital? We can get you a room next to Big Sir's."

"Nope," Trickster said smugly.

Flash barely had time to register the yellow blur that came at him before Professor Zoom's fist smashed into Flash's jaw. He was knocked off of his feet. Flash got up and rubbed his jaw appreciatively.

"Nice punch. It's been a while since you tagged me like that," Flash admitted.

"Don't patronize me," Professor Zoom warned, "Today's the day when we settle up."

"Are you sure you can afford the bill?" Flash smarted off.

"Try me," the Reverse Flash said scornfully.

Flash sprinted forward but Zoom was already gone. Flash continued his streak only to have Professor Zoom cut him off with another right cross. Flash sprawled across the street.

He shook his head to clear his vision and then Flash rose back onto his feet. He looked around and wondered where the hell Zoom was? An intersecting yellow streak struck him again.

Only this time, Flash stayed on his feet. He darted off in pursuit of Professor Zoom. Zoom had already left New Jersey five minutes later and was accelerating.

It took another ten minutes to cross the nation. Flash was just grateful it was summer in the Rockies. Zoom was about to hit the Pacific so maybe he could end this.

But Zoom just ran across the water. His speed increased the surface tension of the water and allowed him to race across the swells and waves. Flash dutifully followed.

They hit Asia. Zoom vectored slightly south and Flash found out why when they hit the Himalayas. Professor Zoom threw in an extra kick and accelerated out of Flash's sight.

Flash came skidding to a halt. Zoom had been racing up a mountain when he disappeared. Flash had slowed to find Zoom's tracks. He took off again at a slower pace while following the trail.

He was so intent on following the tracks that he didn't see Zoom coming straight at him. The blow, when it connected, was travelling faster than the speed of sound. The sonic boom started an avalanche. Zoom manhandled Flash and started punching him several times a second. And then he sprinted off. Flash barely had time to register the crashing wave of snow before it engulfed him.

* * *

Metamorpho had followed John Stewart into danger on several occasions. He'd had second thoughts on occasion but he'd never regretted it until now. Metamorpho was facing down Atomic Skull and Atomic Skull couldn't seem happier.

Metamorpho found out why when the twin blasts of radiation struck. Even in his elemental form, he found that the radiation could break down his molecular structure. He shifted into a being made of lead. Now he was immune to the radiation.

Only, instead of cowering in fear, Atomic Skull clocked Metamorpho in the jaw, "Shoot, I was hoping you'd go for it."

Metamorpho started to transition but Atomic Skull bathed him in radiation. Metamorpho retreated into being lead again. Atomic Skull hit him again and his fist was glowing from radioactive output.

"Lead's _soft_, genius," Atomic Skull chuckled and then he jerked Metamorpho's arm off, "Get ready `cause that's just the beginning."

Atomic Skull chuckled to himself in a self congratulatory way while he proceeded to beat and tear Metamorpho apart.

* * *

Galatea landed in front of Bizarro. She held out her hands in front of her, "Bizarro stop!"

"Me am told you is me friend," Bizarro gloated, "Me am healing you now."

"Oh hell," Galatea groused.

Bizarro came at her and Galatea shifted to her left and threw a round kick into Bizarro's ribs as he started to pass by. She followed up with a left cross to his jaw. She put him down with a right handed clothesline to his throat.

Bizarro choked and sputtered. Every ounce of Galatea's training and instincts said to put him down for good while she had the chance. But she was running with a different crowd than CADMUS or the Legion of Doom these days.

Although, learning that Superman wasn't just a turd but nearly a brain dead turd had softened her opinion of him. Galatea actually had a great deal of sympathy for those people whose lives were considered out of their control. Take Bizarro. He was also the result of a cloning attempt. But for the grace of God she could be Bizarro.

The man she considered to be her father, Emil Hamilton, had learned a great deal from the failed experiment that yielded Bizarro. In turn he was able to correct the instabilities and abnormalities in the process and Galatea had been born as normal as her progenitor was. For that, she owed Bizarro a debt.

She knelt beside him, "Let's just talk, okay?"

Bizarro's fist smashed into her jaw in an uppercut. Galatea was incongruously dumped onto her butt. While she reprimanded herself, Bizarro got to his feet.

"You hurt me," Bizarro said with a surprising amount of lucidity, "For that, me am fixing every bone out your body."

"Great," Galatea muttered as she rose as well. This time she could barely see Bizarro as he rushed her.

Bizarro threw blow after blow at her but she managed to block everyone. His eyes lit up with a cruel cunning and she knew trouble was brewing. Bizarro broke off and headed into the sky.

Galatea doggedly pursued. He headed for one of the infernal hot air balloons the GCPD always seemed to have in the air. He tore into the balloon itself and she guessed it was his heat vision that set off the hydrogen.

Watching the _Hindenburg _repeat itself, Galatea smashed into the roof of the control cockpit. She severed the cables attaching to the balloon and began to lower it away from the burning mass of the balloon itself. First she had to get the crew to safety and then she could get the burning wreckage out to sea.

Bizarro smashed into her back and she dropped the cockpit. Throwing an elbow into his face, she dove for the plummeting cabin. She caught it from underneath and headed for a nearby skyscraper. Bizarro came at her again.

She took two blows that seriously hurt before she kicked him the jaw. It registered as a field goal because Bizarro hurtled away. Galatea got the cockpit down and then went after the falling pyre.

Bizarro came at her back again and latched onto her in a full nelson. She struggled but the macabre monstrosity edge in strength was becoming apparent, "Bizarro! If you don't let go, people will die!"

"Me am not caring," Bizarro said flatly.

Galatea stared in horror as the burning wreckage descended onto the street below.


	9. Chapter 9

13 Justice League Convergence

Plastic Man confronted his old foes, the Weed and Half-Ape. The Weed was literally a sentient plant. His origins had never been discovered but much like Poison Ivy, he sought to reshape the world into a floronic paradise.

Half-Ape had once been Professor Charles Darwin. Obsessed with his namesake, he'd focused his passion upon the hyper intelligent apes of Gorilla City. A researcher that had studied the exploits of Grodd, Darwin's mind had revolved around becoming an ape himself.

Gathering a panel of renowned experts he attempted to prove the superiority of simian life by transforming himself into an ape. After all, Grodd had done so once on a mass scale. But the technique was rushed into development and was therefore imperfect at best. Only half of Darwin's body transformed into a gorilla's.

Mocked and reviled by his former colleagues, Darwin fled into the jungles of Kenya. Stewing over the insults and rejections, he returned to the western world now known as Half-Ape. He had swiftly run afoul of the Agency and their agent, Plastic Man.

Of course, now the Agency had been expanded into the International Security Agency and Plastic Man had joined the Justice League. Grodd had convinced Luthor to include the Weed and Half-Ape into the Legion of Doom. Luthor had seen them as the comic relief. He later admitted that they had a unique perspective into Plastic Man's mind that all the other legionnaires combined sorely lacked.

The Weed opened his attack with spore pods. They adhered to Plastic Man and ejected a pollen mist. Plastic Man grinned, "Weed, you've got to know by now that I don't need to breathe."

"Who needs you to breathe in order to kill you?" Weed cackled, "Behold!"

Plas looked down to behold the spores growing across his body. And in turn, the pollen mixed with the ambient moisture in the air and became a glue-like substance. Encapsulated by spores and adhered by rapidly drying glue, Plastic Man appeared frozen.

"I do believe you owe me one hundred dollars," Weed gleefully insisted.

"It's not over yet," Half-Ape reminded him. His ape half grunted its agreement.

Plas suddenly burst free of the spore containment. He'd expanded his body into the shape of a giant steam liner. He then returned to his usual human appearance and brushed chunks of pollen glue off.

Plas grinned, "C'mon Weed, you can do better than that."

"Maybe he can't but I can," Half-Ape declared, "Witness your final defeat."

An energy surge burst the windows of the bank that lay behind Half-Ape and the Weed. People, or at least what used to be people, staggered forth. They were now bizarre mutations crossing humanity with simian life. They definitely weren't human anymore and they certainly weren't apes. In short they were nothing but Half-Ape's unwitting pawns.

"That pollen serves a two-fold purpose," Half-Ape revealed, "It serves to excite my newfound brothers. I have to confess that I'm barely holding it together myself."

The hybrids began to leap upon Plas and beat him into the pavement with fists and whatever club-like weapons they could acquits. Plas knew he could trounce the hybrids but they were innocent victims and certainly didn't deserve the drumming they would get. Finally, the sheer weight of all of the hybrids toppled him and they pounded him into the ground. All that was left was a red clad smear.

"Now who owes who?" Half-Ape gloated.

* * *

Batwoman rushed to face El Diablo as he herded people out of the area, "So are you hurting or helping?"

"I'm helping them and hurting you," El Diablo declared.

"Good to know," Batwoman dryly quipped.

"Look, you look like you could be a nice girl under all of that uniform," El Diablo commented, "Why don't we blow this town and go for a drink somewhere in Florida?"

"Sorry, you're not my type," Batwoman couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice.

"And what is your type?"" El Diablo inquired.

"Female," Batwoman remarked mirthfully.

"Figures," El Diablo muttered.

"Look, I'll let you down easy and I'll even let you scamper off scot free," Batwoman suggested, "That's my only offer."

"Sorry, no can do," El Diablo assumed a boxing stance, "Let's see what you've got."

"You'd hit a woman?" Batwoman was a little surprise.

"Let's just say I don't consider you a woman anymore," El Diablo announced.

"Well, my girlfriend would disagree. And I have to tell you, even if I were into men bigotry is never attractive," Batwoman warned him.

"Put up or shut up!" El Diablo yelled.

Batwoman shrugged, "It's your funeral."

They fought but it soon became apparent that while El Diablo was a boxer almost on par with Wildcat, it was the only sport he knew. Batwoman unloaded on him in ten different martial forms. He was quickly dumped on his butt.

"What are you waiting for? Take the shot!" El Diablo used his wrist communicator to request back up from the Black Spider.

"Oh hell," Batwoman griped. The bullet tore through her armor into her shoulder and literally spun her through the air and she face planted.

El Diablo rose and stood over her body, "Let's see you get up from that, bitch."

* * *

Batwing buzzed King Shark and the son of the shark god tried to grab him. Batwing dropped a smoke bomb as he made another pass. He landed and pulled two batons off of his utility belt. Taking advantage of King Shark's obscured vision, he moved in.

Batwing struck King Shark's right shoulder. Then he delivered a precise blow to King Shark's left elbow. Dropping into a semi-crouch, Batwing hit both of King Shark's knees. He powered up onto his feet and batted King Shark across the face.

Having taken more abuse than he was generally used to, King Shark started to topple over. But he caught himself. King Shark was not without weapons of his own. Of course, every one of his resulted from his unique physiology.

His backhand swipe at Batwing revealed his claws. Batwing found his breastplate partially torn off. He made to withdraw when King Shark threw a blow into his chest. King Shark's undersea derived strength was several times that of a human. He was particularly stronger than your average Atlantean.

Batwing struggled to breathe as he recovered from that last punch. King Shark flashed his rows of teeth, "Care to find out why they call me 'King Shark'?"

"I think I'll pass," Batwing launched himself upward into the air. King Shark moved faster than Batwing would have expected from someone with King Shark's bulk. Using Batwing's leg as a pinion, he smashed Batwing into the concrete sidewalk.

The blow dazed Batwing. The second made him start to blur into unconsciousness. The third strike took him out.

Batwing was totally unaware of King Shark looming over him, "They say sharks don't like the taste of human flesh. I think it's time I made up my own mind."

* * *

Cyborg scrutinized Shrapnel's metallic body, "And I thought I was a piece of heavy metal."

"Funny," Shrapnel drolly replied, "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Should I?" Cyborg wondered.

"Gawd, the worst part is you aren't even mocking me," Shrapnel bemoaned.

"Hey, if it's any consolation, I'm kinda new to this," Cyborg offered.

"Nice try, kid. I just hate taking out some idiot that has no idea of who I am," Shrapnel complained.

"Yeah, but maybe I'll be beating you up," Cyborg replied smartly.

"Doubt it," Shrapnel confidently asserted.

"Aren't you feeling a little cocky?" Cyborg wanted to know.

"Nope," Shrapnel retorted, "They call me 'Shrapnel' for a reason."

"Oh really? Why's that?" Cyborg inquired.

Shrapnel flew apart in every direction. Scores of metal chunks from Shrapnel's body pierced Cyborg's flesh and cybernetic systems. He went down in a bleeding, shattered mass. Meanwhile, Shrapnel's parts pulled themselves out of Cyborg and the surrounding area and began to gather where Shrapnel had been standing. His body began recomposing itself piece by piece.

* * *

Captain Atom held position over Gotham's downtown district. A quantum blast suddenly struck him and knocked him out of the sky. He plummeted into the four story Schott's Toys building. Captain Atom tried to deduce what had struck him, and more importantly, who had attacked him. Another streaming burst of energy lanced out of the sky and gouged a hole through the floor. The support beams holding the already damaged fourth floor gave way and Captain Atom and the floor crashed into the level beneath.

Captain Atom dug his way free of the mountain of toys that buried him. He suddenly saw his foe. Major Force was alive and well, it seemed.

"Major," Captain Atom grated.

"Speak up!" Major Force ordered, "You're talking to a superior officer, or have you forgotten that, Captain Nathaniel Hale?"

"Of course not," Captain Atom snapped, "But you've also gone around the bend. You're a freaking psychopath these days."

"Tut, tut," Major Force chided him, "I prefer to think of it as finally seeing the light. After all, what was I before now? A failed experiment in trying to replicate the accident that created you, Captain. But now I serve a higher calling."

"You've seen Jesus?" Captain Atom wondered.

"When you breached my containment suit and I dissipated across near Earth orbit, I thought I was done for. It was all I could do just to stay together enough to exist," Major Force shared, "But all of those 'unmanned' test missions the Air Force has launched into orbit over the last six months were really a manned effort to save me. They collected my essence and then they put it in a new containment suit."

"The USAF released you to serve the JLU's UN mission," Major Force recalled, "They've released me to serve the UN's World Army. CONTROL's first order was to contain the Justice League."

"Say what?" Captain Atom wasn't quite following all of this.

"Simply put: I'm here to either recruit you or kill you," Major force replied, "Either way, I'm good with it."

"I only answer to the President," Captain Aton declared.

"And he answers to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and he in turn answers to CONTROL," Major Force reiterated in a bored voice, "So skip the middleman and come to work for CONTROL directly."

"Not until I get my orders from the National Command Authority," Captain Atom retorted.

Major Force wore a menacing smile, "I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

Killer Frost erected an ice wall behind her to block Fire's exit. She'd lured the Brazilian into Florence & Lloyds' department store and then had systematically erected ice barriers between Fire and the outside world. Each time Fire attempted to blaze through a barrier, Killer Frost had nearly frozen her.

Fire turned on Killer Frost and plumed out two streaming burst of plasma based flame at her. Killer Frost created frosty "mittens" around her hands and caught each blast with a hand. She regenerated the ice even faster than Fire could melt it. When Fire subsided, Killer Frost still had two balls of ice in her cupped hands.

Killer Frost dropped the balls, "Oops! I guess that's going to be you in a minute, Popsicle."

"What do you mean?" Fire asked in a weary voice.

Killer Frost swept her arms back and then swung them together. The entire interior layout of Florence & Lloyd's froze as she did so. Fire received a double portion of the freezing energies that Killer Frost generated. Fire collapsed onto the floor and desperately tried to remain conscious and alive.

Killer Frost met her and wore demented smile, "I guess you're going to find out why they call me '_Killer_ Frost', Baby Cakes."

All Fire wanted to do was fall asleep and let it all end.

* * *

Ice's barrier shattered as the blast from Blackrock's stone hit it. She began backpedaling and erecting barriers along her path. They shattered one by one and Ice had backed all the way into a parked car.

Blackrock gave her a jaunty little wave and vanished in a shimmer of energy. Riding the transmission waves that coated the area, he reappeared behind the car she leaned against, "Hiya!"

Ice spun waving an arm as she did so. Ice and frost splayed out across building façade. Windows shattered and collapsed under the weight of the ice adhered to them. Blackrock stood up from his kneeling position.

"You really should get that under control," he advised.

"Why are you with the Legion of Doom?" Ice asked, "With these powers you could do so much more."

Blackrock chuckled, "I used to be a television exec. I was in charge of programming."

He hefted his power stone, "With this baby, I am the program. Besides, a life of crime is so much fun. No censors limiting what you can and cannot say. No laws impeding you. It's a helluva life. I bet you disapprove, don't you?"

Ice grew very sad, "No, I just pity you."

Blackrock stunned her with his power stone. He rounded the car and stood over his fallen foe, "When I'm done with you, you won't even be able to pity yourself."

* * *

Dr. Polaris chuckled as he approached Dr. Light, "Doctor Kimiyo Hoshi herself. I'm very impressed."

Dr. Light couldn't for the life of her recall who Dr. Polaris was in civilian life, "And you are?"

"Neal Emmerson," Dr. Polaris feigned being hurt, "You wouldn't remember. You were too busy being besotted over Doctor Izumi Yasunari those days. Is he fitting into the life of being the Rising Sun?"

"How do you know all of this?" Dr. Light wondered.

"The World Army is composed of many elements. Some of those elements include the Global Guardians, Russia's Rocket Red Brigade, and China's Great Ten. Mark my words, because if you survive today, you will be facing them," Dr. Polaris predicted.

"And I suppose the Legion of Doom is also a part of this 'World Army'?" Dr. Light ventured.

"Not quite," Dr. Polaris smirked, "We're more like independent contractors. We were simply hired to busy your chops until the 'B' team arrives," Dr. Polaris chuckled maliciously.

"Why are you telling me this?" Dr. Light wanted to know.

"Because I honestly admire your work," Dr. Polaris revealed, "And I thought you should know why you're being killed."

"I take that as a threat," Dr. Light warned.

"You should," Dr. Polaris chuckled.

Automobiles covering half of the second block the Legionnaires were running rampant on lifted into the air and began to be hurled at Dr. Light. She used lasers to cut the vehicles in half and photon bursts to deflect them away from her as they passed by. She was in the middle of dealing with the cars when the lampposts began to be uprooted and fell towards as well. Mailboxes and telephone booths sailed through the air at her.

Dr. Light grew desperate and attempted one massive photon flash in every direction. Cars and various metal objects were smashed up against the buildings. Dr. Light bent over, supporting herself by bracing her arms against her legs. She tried to gather her strength before Dr. Polaris could mount another offensive.

"Excuse me, Doctor," Dr. Polaris said from behind her, "But I believe you dropped this."

Dr. Light rose and turned to see what he was babbling about. His fist smashed into her jaw and she went reeling. Another blow followed and then a third. A lamppost wrapped itself around her and he drove a punch straight into her face. That was the last thing she knew.

Dr. Polaris smiled, "So much for the highly accredited Doctor Hoshi. I guess the old ways really are the best way sometimes."

* * *

Silver Banshee opened her mouth and began to wail. OMAC hadn't counted at that. His tactical assessment of Silver Banshee was that she was superhumanly strong. He'd pegged that as her method of attack. OMAC dourly noted he needed to finish copying all of the JLUs files on their opponents into his system.

He was suddenly alarmed as his biological components began rapidly breaking down. Within seconds they had been harmed to the point that their synaptic connections with his cybernetic systems were no longer functioning. OMAC froze, unable to move. Soon he was unable to function and he toppled over and simply died.

* * *

Atom Smasher faced two opponents. Giganta had been joined by her old Secret Society partner, the Parasite. Parasite chuckled, "He's all yours, babe. Just try to leave a few pieces for me."

Giganta strode forward. As she walked she tripled her height. Planting her fists akimbo, she stared down at Atom Smasher.

"Care to try your luck, sailor?" she taunted.

Atom Smasher matched her height, "I don't know why you bother, Giganta. You always fold."

"Maybe, maybe not," Giganta teased, "Maybe I don't have to this time."

Atom Smasher suddenly felt weak and his head began to swim. Gazing down, he saw the Parasite holding on to his leg. Atom Smasher kicked him away but the damage had already been done.

Parasite joined the two giants as he grew to match them, "You're getting sloppy, kid. You wouldn't have fallen for this little set up before you were booted down to the Justice Society. You may be back in the first string but how much of that was out of pity?"

Atom Smasher almost leveled Parasite with a right cross. Giganta backed away, holding her hands in the air, "Okay. It's starting to get rough."

Parasite chuckled, "You may have only touched me for a couple of seconds but I fed off you. Care to see who has the most endurance?"

"I can outlast you any day of the week, you vulture," Atom Smasher declared.

"Try to then," Parasite goaded him.

Atom Smasher got in a few punches like Wildcat had shown him. Parasite always came back. Atom Smasher pulled back and noticed something.

"Aren't you a little shorter than you were five minutes ago?" he asked.

"Yeah," Parasite ruefully confirmed it, "I'm getting sparks off you but I need a major draw if I'm going to keep going."

"Good luck with that," Atom Smasher retorted.

Parasite surged forward and caught Atom Smasher up in a bear hug. Atom Smasher resisted but as he progressively got weaker, Parasite redoubled his strength. Soon it was all Atom Smasher could do to stay awake.

Parasite chuckled in a nasty way, "Y'know, if I don't let go at some point, you're going to die. Oh well."

Giganta gazed on with some remorse as Al and the Parasite shrunk, still locked in their embrace of death. She'd had a _very_ memorable one night stand with Atom Smasher once. She'd always wanted another romp in the sack. Looked like that wasn't ever going to happen.

* * *

Jack Ryder had been doing a piece on Gotham City's renovations. Several of Gotham's older buildings and parks had been restored to their former glory and retasked with new purposes. As such, he was outside the old Town Hall when the Legion struck.

Jack had been torn over what to do. When his team decided to vacate the area when the mass exodus began, Jack dropped back. The Justice League had arrived in the interim but Jack had spotted three Legionnaires that looked a little lost. So he decided to follow them.

The JLU didn't know it but Jack was on the rolls as a member. Okay, _reserve_ member. And it technically wasn't even Jack Ryder that would report for duty, if and when he did. Jack's little secret identity was repressed by a special patch Batman had cooked up. Remove the patch and someone else took over.

The Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, and Copperhead left the fight behind. The police had cordoned off the area at the end of the street so they went into the Town Hall unmolested. The Town Hall had been converted into a museum. So why were they going in?

Jack climbed the steps and entered the Town Hall. He ducked into the men's restroom. Despite being alone, he still squeezed into a stall and began peeling off his clothes. He pulled the boots, gloves, trunks, and feather boa of his alter ego out of the courier bag he always carried on field assignments.

Sighing, Jack peeled off the patch adhered to his rib cage and into the courier bag. He began to snicker and then broke into a manic belly laugh as his skin turned yellow and his hair shifted to a shade of green. Reborn, the Creeper burst forth from the stall.

"The Loony Tunes are back and here to stay!" he announced, "I…oh!"

Gazing at himself in the mirror, the Creeper suddenly realized he was stark naked. He struck a weightlifting pose, "Thank you, Jack! You're still keeping me in tip top shape. Let's go impress the ladies, shall we?"

The Creeper exited the restroom, still naked, and heard a scream. The Creeper leaned in the direction it had come from and held a hand too his ear, "What ho? Is trouble afoot? I certainly hope so!"

Several people stampeded towards him and when the saw him, they screamed all over again. The Creeper authoritatively held up a hand, "Have no fears for I am the Creeper. I'm here to rescue you."

He darted over to a young woman, "Especially from your virginity."

She belted him and the crowd took off again. The Creeper sat up and rubbed his jaw, "What did I say?"

Now there was a tremendous crashing noise. The Creeper leapt to his feet, "Garston, my jacket please!"

Waiting expectantly, he finally realized no one was coming to wait on him. His version of a sullen trudge was several bounds into the restroom. Fully equipped, he burst into the lobby again.

Creeper grinned as he heard another crashing noise, "Oh, the sweet symphony. They're playing my song!"

He darted off in pursuit of the source of the noise. When he reached the main exhibit area, he found Mad Hatter directing a half dozen unfortunate souls that had been snared by his min control devices. Scarecrow stood tittering over a group of cowering patrons. Meanwhile Copperhead held a sheaf of papers.

"That's not the one," Copperhead hissed, "She wants the original founding documents."

"Why pray tell, does our ally need Gotham City's founding charter?" Mad Hatter complained.

"Don't ask me," Copperhead snapped, "I just work here."

"Not anymore, foul miscreant!" the Creeper audaciously announced as he leapt into the center of the room.

Those stricken by the Scarecrow's fear gas began to scream. He clapped his hands in delight, "Yes! Do it again!"

"It seems you are a vile villain, and since I loathe vile villains, I shall attend to you first," Creeper kept up his pompous voice.

The Creeper casually strolled up to the Scarecrow, "Now, exactly what is your shtick?"

"Only this," the Scarecrow cackled as he dosed the Creeper with fear gas.

The Creeper started convulsing, "Ick! Ack! A-wooga!"

He suddenly stopped and started grinning madly at the Scarecrow, "Fooled ya!"

Creeper decked him. When the Scarecrow didn't go down, the Creeper frowned, "Hmm, perhaps I've misjudged him."

The Creeper sallied forth into the Scarecrow with a mixture of punches and kicks. The Scarecrow dropped like a hammer. The Creeper did a little victory dance.

"Once again, he never stood a chance!" he crowed.

"Just who the hell are you?" Copperhead asked, "Joker Junior?"

"Well, he was sort of my daddy," Creeper admitted, "But I am the Creeper!"

Seeing he wasn't getting a response, he inquired; "Doesn't that strike fear into your heart?"

"Not even slightly," Copperhead admitted.

The Creeper sighed, "Time to get a new agent."

He then bounded into Copperhead and began to savage him with a series of blows. Copperhead spat poison at him but missed. Creeper just rocked him with another right cross.

"Whoa Nelly! You really should do something about that breath!" Creeper insisted. He grabbed a hold of a rather large display case, "Let me help you with that."

He toppled the case down atop of Copperhead. Creeper wheeled on the Mad Hatter, "And then there was one!"

"Not exactly," the Mad Hatter ordered his victims to attack the Creeper. Creeper just waded through them without strike a single one. He leapt into the air and plucked off the Mad Hatter's hat as he passed overhead.

"No!" Mad Hatter wailed.

Creeper stomped on the hat several times and the captives suddenly came to and fled. Creeper wagged a finger at the Mad Hatter, "Lucy! You've been naughty!"

"Please don't hit me!" the Mad Hatter pleaded.

"Would I do that?" Creeper contemplated it and then suddenly struck the Mad Hatter, "Looks like I would."

"That was pretty impressive," a feminine voice said from behind him. Creeper turned to find two women and a teenage boy facing him. He immediately gravitated towards one of the women.

"Hubba hubba. You're smokin' hot!" Creeper declared.

Cassandra Cain gave Card Queen a wry look, "Looks like you have a fan, Duela."

Card Queen looked slightly pleased, "I've heard of this loon. He gave the Joker a run for his money in the schizoid department."

"Your kinda man then," Inertia quipped.

"Spare me," Card Queen retorted, "The Joker _hated_ him. So I do to."

"Daddy's girl!" Creeper called out. Seeing that actually pleased Card Queen he opted to use the respite to get a bearing on his potential foes, "So what is your merry band up to?"

"We're here to kill the Justice League," Cassandra announced.

"Hey! I'm sorta in the Justice League," Creeper revealed.

"Then I guess we'll have to kill you first," Cassandra decided.

"Didn't the word _sorta_ give away that I'm a part-timer?" Creeper wondered.

"Part-time, full-time, all I know is you're going to be no-time here in a minute," Cassandra warned him.

"Give the word," Inertia pleaded, "I'll take him out."

"Go for it," Cassandra gave her permission.

Both Inertia and the Creeper exploded into action.


	10. Chapter 10

11 Justice League Convergence

The Female Furies led a detachment of Legionnaires on a rampage in the heart of Metropolis. Diana wisely held Clark back from responding until the Justice League was prepared to move on this. Finally the JLU arrived and Diana let him loose.

Superman hit Supreme with such force that there was a thunderclap. Supreme smashed into a nearby skyscraper and Superman pursued. The poor souls who had lingered within out of fear of what was occurring on the streets began a mass exodus and poured out onto the melee while their building shook itself apart.

* * *

"Lashina is mine!" Diana declared to her fellow JLers as she dove for the Female Fury's leader.

Stompa warned Lashina of Diana's approach and the Female Fury neatly sidestepped the Amazon's attack. Snapping her whip around Diana's waist, Lashina energized the lash and also began a spin at the same time. Diana was spun around and around until Lashina flicked her wrist and the whip uncoiled around the Princess' waist.

Hurtling towards Stompa, Diana tried to halt her mad flight before she reached the larger woman. It was to no avail. Stompa connected with a right into Diana's gut and then bodily slammed her into the ground. Planting her boot in Diana's chest, she activated her antimatter soles and the rampant energy began to eat away at Diana.

Diana desperately twisted Stompa's ankle. As the Fury began to topple, Diana managed to shove her back and kick her in the knee. Diana then rose as Stompa tried to get back onto her feet.

Mad Harriet landed atop Diana's back. Digging her energy claws into Diana's ribs she electrified them. Diana screamed and went down to her hands and knees. Mad Harriet laughed manically while Diana writhed.

Diana finally found the inner reserves to rear up and grab hold of Mad Harriet. She threw the Female Fury into the approaching Stompa. They went down in a tumble.

Diana barely had time to catch her breath when Lashina's whip snapped around her neck. Lashina energized the whip and Diana's cried out again. Lashina relished the sound of it.

Diana reached up and tried to pull the whip off. But it was made of a smart metal. It only released when its mistress wished it to.

Diana pulled the whip in closer as she slowly, inexorably marched towards Lashina. Reaching the Female Fury, Diana wrapped the whip around Lashina herself. Only…there was no effect.

Lashina laughed, "Did you really think I was vulnerable to my own power?"

Lashina drove a knee into Diana's gut. As Diana started to crumple, Lashina drove a right cross into her jaw. It was then that Lashina released the whip.

Lashina quickly laced her whip between Diana's legs and pulled it tight. She finished this movement off by wrapping it around Diana's neck. Then Lashina smiled.

"This is going to be a bit rough on you, _Princess_, but it sure as hell is going to get me off!" Lashina laughed and then she energized her whip.

Finding her genitalia under direct attack, Diana screamed.

* * *

Steel came to a resounding landing before where Artemiz, Speed Queen, and Wunda were terrorizing the street crowd. Speed Queen raced up and down the street slashing her way through the fleeing masses with her proton blasters. Wunda stood back and laughed as she shouted encouragement.

Artemiz had an arrow nocked and drawn but she hadn't fired yet. Steel was about to speak when Artemiz snapped around and let the arrow fly. It struck his ocular piece before Steel could react. The arrow nearly penetrated despite being hardened against a .44 Magnum. Steel was left wondering just how much tension was on that bow.

Artemiz pointed, uttered a single command, and Unus, Secundus, and Tertius leapt at Steel. While his visual systems were blown in his right eye, he still had his left. The HUD system also scrolled data across his faceplate's interior. As such, he began to defend himself.

The Cyberpaks' jaws could rend steel apart but fortunately "Steel" was just a moniker and not an actuality. His armor's metallurgy was comparable to Gavin Ivanovich's Apokoliptan armor. As such, a cyberwolf's jaws could dent and bend his metal shell but even their vaunted teeth couldn't penetrate it.

Steel smashed Unus over the head with his sledgehammer. The cyberwolf went down with barely a whimper. A swing knocked Tertius across the street. He also lay still. Secundus was the last to receive a braining.

"Yaaah!" Artemiz cried as she unleashed a second arrow.

Steel's armor tracked the arrow and bolstered his reflexes so he caught the arrow in mid-flight. Artemiz gaped, "Th…that's impossible."

Steel knocked over with his concussion cannon, "That what they all say."

Proton bursts hammered at his armor and Steel was bewildered as Speed Queen zipped by. She pulled a 180 degree turn and came back at him. Circling him, she peppered him with proton bolts. Finally he swung his hammer and smashed it into her face. She ingloriously landed on her butt and woozily tried to stay upright.

Wunda sauntered towards him, "Hey, good looking."

"Flattery won't spare you anything but surrender might," Steel advised.

Wunda pouted, "Silly man. I wasn't talking about _you_; I was talking about your armor."

Wunda leapt into Steel's arms and he barely had time to register he had her in a bridal carry when she vanished. Then he heard her laughter in his audio pickups. Suddenly he knew who it was that had threatened Roxy and the _Watchtower_ after infecting the STRIPE mecha.

Steel's armor froze but he heard his voice modulator speak in Wunda's voice, "I've got him girls. Do what you want with him."

Wunda left Steel's remaining visual sensor active as he watched Speed Queen rise and check the charges on her protons blasters. Artemiz nocked an arrow and drew her bowstring back. Whatever was going to happen next, Steel knew he wasn't going to like it.

* * *

Gilotina was cutting a path through the fleeing civilians. Bernadeth waved her Feron blades at those that made it past Gilotina. Malice Vundabar sat atop the shoulders of a nearby bronze statue of Superman and clapped her hands.

"Kill them! Kill them all!" she cheered on her fellow Female Furies. Malice yelped as Supergirl plucked her off of the statue and dropped her at Gilotina's feet. She alighted between Gilotina, Bernadeth, and their intended victims.

"This ends now!" Supergirl angrily declared.

Bernadeth threw her Feron blades at Supergirl's heart. Kara plucked them out of the air and crumpled them. Spittle flecked from Bernadeth's lips as she screamed in fury.

"I'll kill you for that!" Bernadeth cried.

Supergirl leveled her with one punch. She looked towards Gilotina and Malice, "And _she_ wants to lead you?"

Malice shrugged and Gilotina chuckled softly, "It seems I finally get my shot at you, Kara In-Ze."

"And how would you know my name?" Supergirl wondered.

"There is very little I don't know about you," Gilotina decided to reveal; "I was a member of a team that scavenged Argo. There were all sorts of records to be found, if you knew how to extract them. Your mother was a brilliant woman. It just seems she wasn't brilliant enough. After all, only _you_ survived."

"I'd be very careful of where you tread next," Kara warned in a very still voice.

"Your people essentially abandoned spaceflight in lieu of Kryptonian protection," Gilotina remarked, "Rather suicidal in the end, don't you think? After all, your cousins' planet is what killed you all. Or, at least _most_ of you."

"I'd change the subject if you knew what was good for you," Supergirl advised.

Gilotina smirked, "You may have destroyed Bernadeth's Feron blades but you see my swords? Their forged out of _minshara_ ore."

Kara gasped. _Minshara _was an ore found on Argo and Krypton. It was those worlds' equivalent of titanium. Once forged and hardened, it could cut through diamonds.

"Care to try your luck?" Gilotina's eyes danced.

"You know I'm going to stop you," Supergirl declared.

"Maybe, maybe not. The question is how many body parts will you still have if and when you do?" Gilotina suggested.

Supergirl rushed forward almost as fast as the Flash could travel but Gilotina was prepared for that. She impaled Kara and ran one of her swords up to the hilt into Kara's abdomen. Gilotina smiled, pulled the blade free, and let Kara collapse onto her knees.

"I could take your head now but I think I'll be a little more sporting than that," Gilotina decided, "Your turn, Malice!"

Malice summoned Chessure and the shadow demon sniffed out its prey. It lunged atop of Supergirl and began to slash her with its claws and rend her apart with its phantom teeth. Gilotina and Malice stood by and enjoyed the show.

* * *

Kyle Rayner spotted Kara's distress and his distraction gave Spencer Hawk the opening he needed. Spencer's pile driver smashed Kyle into the ground. A jackhammer formed next and it beat Kyle underground until he reached the subway.

Kyle had a reprieve of a few seconds and then Spencer was in the tunnel with him. Kyle created a train that steamed towards Spencer. Rather than form a wall or a barrier, Spencer formed a wedge and cut the train in two.

The wedge then hurtled towards Kyle and became a giant arrow that pierced Kyle's personal field. Kyle brought the tunnel roof down and retreated further down the tunnel. Arriving at a station he came headlong into a crowd waiting for the trains to start moving again.

The sight of a wounded and bloody Green Lantern sent the assembled throng into panic mode. A stampede began and Kyle desperately tried to ease the tensions in the room. And then another stabbing weapon hit him in the back.

Kyle was pitched forward and he dropped to his hands and knees. Spencer sailed into him with a kick to the ribs. His next construct pinned Kyle up against a nearby wall.

"They say you were a White Lantern for a while," Spencer sneered, "I have no idea of what the hell that means but it sounds impressive. How about I take you apart to see what made you tick?"

A wedge pushed into Kyle's chest and then transformed into a rib slitter. Kyle cried out as it tried to rip his breastbone in half.

* * *

The Silver Sorceress was yanked by an unseen force and shoved into the ground. She rose to be confronted by two women. Silver Sorceress vaguely recognized Bloody Mary from the JLU files. The second was a complete mystery to her though.

"Hit her again, Psi!" Bloody Mary urged.

Psi pushed her hand out and Silver Sorceress felt like she was hit with a rocket powered wall. She smashed into a literal wall and almost passed out. But it seemed that the woman called "Psi" only had enough endurance for short bursts.

Blood Mary confidently strode forth. Anna had described Bloody Mary's singular weakness and Silver Sorceress was just the woman to exploit it. White light lanced out of her hand and penetrated Bloody Mary.

The Nesferatu exalted in the rush of life giving energy. But she soon began to backpedal while holding up a hand to ward off the Light of Life. Bloody Mary began to beg.

"No more! No more, I beg you!" she pleaded.

"Have you ever listened to your victims pleas?" Silver Sorceress asked coldly.

Suddenly she was slammed up against the wall again and she ceased her outpouring to Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary fainted and Psi closed the desistance, "Yeah, you're a hero."

"What would you know of it?" Silver Sorceress asked disdainfully.

Psi wore a wry smirk, "Precious little."

Silver Sorceress was smashed into the wall again but this time it collapsed upon her. Psi gave the sight an appreciative appraisal, "Now if I were the hero, I'd dig you out. But like you said, I'm not. So good luck with that."

* * *

Kestrel dove at Blue Jay in an almost vertical arc. Only Blue Jay's sharp gaze catching her refection on the ground a hundred feet below caused him to bank sharply to his right. As it was, Kestrel's sword grazed his ribs. He rolled away and tried to stabilize as she spread her wings wide and caught a thermal.

Kestrel swooped upward and climbed her way into the skies above. Blue Jay decided to try and catch her. He knew her reputation and he wasn't certain he could overcome her while being unarmed.

Kestrel noted his approach and she adopted a cruel smile. Folding her left wing, she dropped in that direction and she started another dive for the ground. Blue Jay followed suit and stayed right on her. She careened towards the ground and only spread her wings at the very last second. Blue jay almost scraped himself across the street below as he tried to keep up.

As they soared over the streets below, Blue Jay saw Kyle being pounded below ground. Supergirl was skewered and the Silver Sorceress…Laura was being buried alive! Blue Jay almost panicked. It was then that he looked forward again and discovered Kestrel was long gone.

It was instinct more than anything that had him going vertical. Kestrel passed him with her sword thrust forward. If he'd continued on his former course, he would have been stabbed through the heart. Blue Jay suddenly had an appreciation of what Shayera would be like if she were to be homicidal.

As it was, Kestrel had nearly killed Hawkman at their last encounter. To be fair, Carter was relatively inexperienced compared to a trained Thanagarian soldier. But still, Kestrel had almost killed Blue Jay twice in less than five minutes and he was one of the most experienced heroes Angor had ever produced.

Blue Jay gazed about and was startled to discover that Kestrel had already climbed higher in the sky than he had. Her wings were actively flapping so she was exerting herself far beyond anything she'd put out so far in this encounter. It also meant her focus wouldn't be totally lensed on him.

Blue Jay set an intercept course and pushed forward. She rose as he neared. In ten seconds he would have her. That's when she banked and slashed across his chest with her sword. Blue Jay felt a pain unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.

His wings folded and he plummeted into a car far below. It crumpled and Blue Jaw lay in a fetal position as though in a nest. Kestrel came to a landing nearby. Ruffling her wings, she stalked towards Blue Jay. Seeing he was helpless, she smiled. Pulling her sword arm back, she prepared for the final thrust that would end this battle.

* * *

Cheetah sprinted towards Crimson Fox and pounced. Crimson Fox never knew what hit her. The steel claws mounted on her fingertips tore into Cheetah's flesh but Cheetah could respond in kind. Crimson Fox raked a rather sensitive spot and Cheetah withdrew.

"Well, you're not a lady," Cheetah commented.

"And you are?" Crimson Fox asked in a heavy French accent. It still surprised her that people hadn't deduced there were actually two Crimson Foxes taking turns by the sisters' accents alone.

"You aren't the first bitch I fought in that costume. Your scent is close but still wrong. And by the way, your pheromone load is just making me crankier," Cheetah warned.

Crimson Fox was now of the opinion that Cheetah knew far too much for her own good. Apparently Cheetah could detect that she was about to mount an attack because Cheetah did so first. Crimson Fox's agility was near superhuman. Whether or not it qualified for meta-human status was debatable. But her one meta-human weapon, her pheromones, was proving to be useless.

Cheetah clawed Crimson Fox's thigh and then came up behind her and sank her fangs in Crimson Fox's neck. The Frenchwoman punched Cheetah in the face and broke free. Cheetah dropped into a crouch and began to chuckle malevolently.

"Run!" Cheetah commanded lustily.

Crimson Fox obeyed.

* * *

Catman was on the hunt. He'd been a professional big game hunter until he decided to target Batman. He'd been a second string player until recently. Now he was proving himself to the Legion of Doom.

Animal Man had adopted the abilities of a dozen animals so far. Catman had countered every one of them. Animal Man was wounded, not mortally, but he was slowed down and trailing blood. It was only a matter of time now until Catman caught up with him.

Animal Man shoved a dumpster aside as he charged out of an alley. Catman guessed he was drawing off of a rhino. Catman shouldered his rifle and took aim. Placing the crosshairs between Animal Man's eyes, he only had seconds to fire. So he did.

* * *

Count Vertigo confronted Booster Gold, "You may wish to land, my pompous friend."

Booster shrugged and came to stand before Count Vertigo, "You do realize I can take you down at any time with my proton blasters?"

Count Vertigo smirked, "Funny, I was thinking the same of you."

Booster raised hand in order to use his gauntlet blaster but Count Vertigo's optic disk began to spin. At first, Booster was almost entranced by it and then the world spun out of control…literally. Booster finally staggered around and collapsed. Moaning, he threw up several times.

Count Vertigo began to laugh, "That is merely the beginning. Soon you will beg me to end your life."

* * *

"Yea varlet, we meet on the plains of battle yet again," Sir Justin declared as he drew his sword.

"Can't you ever say something simply?" Bronze Tiger inquired. Seeing Sir Justin's puzzlement, he sighed; "I guess not."

"Thou took me by surprise the last time we met. But this time I am prepared for thy tricks," Sir Justin declared.

"So in other words it's me against your sword," Bronze Tiger dryly observed.

"Nay," the Shining Knight set his sword down on the ground, "Once again, we shall test our mettle in the manly art of fisticuffs."

"I hope you've been practicing because I handed you your ass last time," Bronze Tiger reminded him, "Only Goldilocks saved you from permanent damage and she isn't here now."

"Much to my eternal relief," Sir Justin confided.

Bronze Tiger chuckled, "I hear you, brother."

"Shall we wage our war of ringing fists?' Sir Justin inquired.

"Sure," Bronze Tiger said with some resignation, "I'll even give you the first swing."

Sir Justin was surprisingly quick despite being clad in chainmail. And as he'd promised, he now fought with skills far superior to his previous encounter with Bronze Tiger. In fact, they were frighteningly familiar to Bronze Tiger.

He managed to break free from Sir Justin and catch his breath, "Just who has been training you?"

"A fine, knightly fellow who dost goeth by the name Richard Dragon. Poor chap was crippled in battle due to a vast betrayal. But he is a valued teacher," Sir Justin shared.

Bronze Tiger wondered if Sir Justin realized that he, Benjamin Turner, was Richard Dragon's betrayer. As Sir Justin tore into him again, he strongly suspected the displaced knight did.

* * *

Deadshot fired several rounds in Vigilante's direction. Vigilante returned them. Deadshot knew this was getting pathetic. He eyed the area.

Vigilante was crouched behind a compact car. Near the front, which wouldn't be as effective as what Deadshot would have preferred but still it lined him up for an incendiary attack. Deadshot released the magazine from the submachine gun he was using and slapped in his contingency rounds. Phosphorous loads would burn as soon as they were exposed to oxygen and the weapon's discharge would shred the gelatin capsules keeping the phosphorous from the air.

Taking aim, he placed three rounds into the car's gas tank. It exploded in a plume of fire seconds later. Vigilante was strewn across the sidewalk, barely sensate. His pistols were laid out in front of him.

Deadshot kicked the pistols away and exchanged magazines again so that he would have regular 9mm bullets, "Say adios, compadre."

* * *

"So we meet at last," Bane said with satisfaction.

"It seems so," Apache Chief stoically replied.

"We shall see who the better fighter is at long last," Bane proclaimed.

"The better fighter is the one with the purer heart," Apache Chief boasted.

Bane threw a punch which Apache Chief blocked. Bane then drove his knee into Apache Chief's chest. Taking the Native American's legs out from underneath him, Bane planted his knee in Apache Chief's chest and began punching his face. And punching it and punching it and punching it…

* * *

Livewire taunted Black Vulcan, "They really sent the wrong man after me this time."

"I'm going to blow your fuses, Livewire," Black Vulcan declared.

"Try it," Livewire laughed.

Black Vulcan unleashed two torrents of electricity which Livewire began to absorb. He tried to cut the circuit but she was drawing more and more out of him. Finally he passed out. Livewire snickered as she approached him.

"Just like that Lightning chick, too stupid for words," Livewire observed.

* * *

Samurai threw fire, winds, and rain at Black Mass. The big man just endured it all. When Samurai had ceased his efforts, Black Mass wore a nasty smile.

"Ready for my shot?" he inquired.

Suddenly, the force of fifty times the Earth's gravity descended upon Samurai. The air was squeezed out of him and he slowly passed out. Black Mass loomed over him.

"Now let's see what I can do at point blank range," he chuckled.

* * *

David Cain watched from a nearby rooftop. The Injustice League members were under a holographic tarp. Everyone above them would only see a flat, unoccupied roof. He could tell his compatriots were getting restless.

Merlyn drew an arrow and nocked it. David held a hand out in front of him, "Not yet. Let's see how much damage the Legion can inflict first. We may prove to be unnecessary."

"I want Princess Diana's head," Aresia growled.

"All things come with patience. You nearly succeeded in exterminating every male on this planet because you had plotted and planned for decades. Give this endeavor as much forethought and we shall be successful."

"Why does your daughter despise you?" Aresia suddenly wanted to know.

Merlyn snickered and David weighed his answer, "I have never given Cassandra any choice of what she was to be. Her entire life was shaped around my ambitions for her. She resents me for that."

"Has she achieved you ambitions?" Aresia wondered.

"Yes, she's even deadlier than I am," David said proudly, "But she's outgrown my dream for her. I think she's about to realize what her dream for herself is."

"And that is?" Aresia was curious.

"I don't know," David admitted, "And I'm rather afraid to find out."


	11. Chapter 11

11 Justice League Convergence

Mary Marvel leaned into Captain Marvel Jr.'s ear, "Try to smile. After all, your girlfriend is watching."

Junior blushed and whispered back," Donna isn't my girlfriend."

"Yet," Mary insisted, "She's got that look in her eye when you're around. Even more so than she did with Don Hall."

Part of Junior felt like he was betraying the original Dove's memory yet an even larger portion of himself was delighted to hear it, "Well, we'll see."

Mary rolled her eyes out of exasperation, "Men."

The Mayor had noticed that the Marvel Family members standing behind Captain Marvel were whispering while the Captain gave his acceptance speech. The three Marvels were accepting Civil Service Awards. The city was giving them out to citizens that had made an impact in the lives of Fawcett City's populace.

Police officers and firefighters were represented but the lion's share of recipients were volunteers, day care workers, social services providers, teachers, and emergency medical technicians. The award achievers had been selected through a written poll mailed to every address and a corresponding online equivalent. Partakers were encouraged to vote in both but steps were taken to insure they could only double dip once.

The poll had specifically excluded the Marvel Family but since names were chosen by the poll taker, there was still a massive flood of write-ins squeezed between the margins and the comment fields. So the Marvels were receiving honorary awards. They also made good press.

Uncle Dudley had left Tawky Tawny at the Day Center Academy and attended the ceremony. The tiger had been offered a chance to go by the center's employees but he preferred to stay around. He sensed trouble was afoot. So despite the presence of the Black Marvel Family, Tawky Tawny remained on guard.

His primary focus was on Alexandra Kent, Osiris, and Alyssa Dibney. They were the targets of whatever foul madness was headed the center's way. Black Adam and Isis wisely listened to Tawky Tawny and stayed. Black Adam had direct experience and knowledge of Tawky Tawny. He wouldn't lightly disregard the tiger's warnings.

Captain Marvel had just concluded his speech to much applause when a blue streak slammed into him. Marvel and the unknown assailant went hurtling across the park. Mary and Junior looked up to find Superwoman and Power Ring flying in. That meant that the Crime Syndicate was probably here in force and that would make Captain Marvel's foe Ultraman.

* * *

Mary flew up to meet Superwoman in mid-air. The Amazon caught her in the jaw with a sweeping kick. Mary went plummeting towards the park's central fountain. Superwoman landed and confidently strode towards Mary.

"There's no tent stakes here, bitch. It's going to be a fair fight which also means I'm going to hand you your ass," Superwoman boasted.

Mary surged up onto her feet and threw a punch. Superwoman caught her arm and twisted it behind Mary's back as the Marvel's momentum propelled her past. Superwoman grabbed Mary's other writs and yanked that hand behind her back as well.

Superwoman began shoving Mary towards the fountain. Kicking the back of Mary's knees Superwoman drove her into a kneeling position. Superwoman began to chuckle.

"I've already learned I can't break your neck but the question remains over whether or not you can drown," Superwoman revealed, "I guess we're going to find out. Hold your breath!"

Superwoman rammed Mary's head underwater and held it there. Mary frantically struggled for several minutes. And then her resistance slowly faded. Superwoman exulted in her apparent victory but she didn't risk pulling Mary's head out of the water. Not yet anyway.

* * *

Power Ring hit Junior with a cascading wave of constructs. Finally he focused a force beam and hit Captain Marvel Jr. in the gut. Junior opened his mouth wide as he exhaled.

Power Ring projected a construct inside of Junior. Junior felt his body start to distend as the emerald energy expanded within him. And the beam was solid enough he couldn't shut his mouth.

"Let's see how much you can take before you burst," Power Ring maliciously suggested.

* * *

Ultraman pounded on Captain Marvel. The Captain barely had time to register the blows before Ultraman let up for a half second. Then Ultraman landed a phoenix punch into Captain Marvel's throat.

Captain Marvel clutched at his throat as it closed and he couldn't breathe or speak. Ultraman laughed, "Now you can't say that stupid word and heal yourself with the lightning. So now I can beat you to death."

Captain Marvel was already getting woozy from the lack of oxygen so he realized Ultraman's boast might prove to be correct.

* * *

Donna Troy watched in horror as the Crime Syndicate attacked the Marvel Family. The crowd scattered and stampeded over one another. Donna sheltered some kids and got them off to the side of the restrooms and then flagged down the obviously panicking parents.

The parents tried to profusely thank Donna but she ushered them aside. Screams became louder and a roar of rage lifted. Standing almost a head higher than everyone else, Blockbuster waded through the stampede and swatted aside civilian after civilian.

"Stand over there and get ready to run," Donna instructed the two sets of parents.

She pulled her lasso out of her handbag and formed a loop. Twirling up and over herself, her clothes transformed into her Troia armor as it descended. The kids suddenly cheered. Troia had forgotten what it was like to have the crowd on your side.

"Head east and get out of the park," Troia instructed.

"But our car…" the female pair of parents began to protest.

"Head east," Troia stressed more strongly, "Blockbuster is coming from the north and the Crime Syndicate is battling the Marvel Family to the south. The western route is clogged with fleeing civilians. That leaves the eastern route and it's still pretty clear. Got it?"

One of the mothers reached out for Troia, "You're going to tackle that…_brute_ aren't you?"

"He'll kill someone if I don't," Troia said grimly.

"He has before, hasn't he?" the woman asked.

"He killed my last boyfriend," Troia revealed, "So, I'd say he'd do it again."

Troia flew off and the woman's partner reached around her waist, "_Boyfriend_? She hardly seemed the type."

The woman smirked, "Let's just take her advice and get the hell out of here."

* * *

Troia sailed into Blockbuster, leading with a right cross. She continued her motion and spun around to land a left handed backhand as Blockbuster came upright. A high kick to the jaw snapped his head back and he stumbled.

Blockbuster roared his displeasure and threw a right at Troia. She caught it and deflected it so that his arm slid by her ribs. Keeping her hand locked onto his wrist she took hold of his bicep with her left. Flexing the arm, she broke his elbow.

Blockbuster turned faster than she would have imagined and drove his left fist into her gut. Troia lost her wind and was vulnerable to his head butt. She staggered back.

Troia watched transfixed as Blockbuster relocated his arm below the elbow. She could swear she could see the bones mend. Within seconds, he was flexing his arm as though nothing had ever happened. His eyes told a different story though.

Blockbuster's eyes had lost all of their intelligence. Only a menacing animal cunning remain. They radiated unbridled rage. Hawk had described Blockbuster being in this state when he killed Dove. Troia braced herself for the inevitable attack and hoped she'd do better than poor Don had.

* * *

Dr. Sivana rubbed his hands together and cackled, "You see, Mr. Mind? Things are going far better than we expected."

"Still, it is best if we prepare," Mr. Mind's vocoder provided the caterpillar a voice, "The damnable Marvels have an unfortunate tendency to pull the mythical rabbit out of their metaphorical hats. There's no need to mention the treacherous Amazon aiding them."

"Agreed," Sivana chuckled, "The moment of achievement is upon us."

Mr. Mind was still subdued, "And if not, we have a back up in place to deliver the hammer blow."

"Too true!" Sivana snickered as he strolled away to collect their failsafe weapon. Mr. Mind rode on his shoulder as Sivana created a boom tube and set course for the Rock of Eternity. They had an unscheduled appointment with the wizard, Shazam.

* * *

Tawky Tawny ushered along workers carrying Alexandra, Osiris, and Alyssa into a safe room and then he sealed it. Rushing to his private office, which was equipped as a playroom so he could work with misbehavinbg individuals, Tawky Tawny pulled out the keyboard drawer at his desk and depressed a finger to the biosensors mounted underneath the desktop. It registered his unique biosigns and sent a burst transmission through the transceiver in the roof. It simply said, "Help!"

* * *

Aboard the _Watchtower_, Sue was overseeing the different departments. Hula Hula oversaw the Monitor Section. Hula Hula was a veteran Agency and ISA agent. He'd been partnered with Plastic Man for nearly a decade now so when he approached and looked deathly frightened, Sue knew there was definite trouble brewing.

"What is it, Hula?" she asked.

"The Daycare Center Academy is squawking for help," Hula Hula said gently.

"What?" Sue's heart clutched within her chest. Her daughter was at the facility, "Did they say what's wrong?"

"No, it's the auto distress beacon," Hula Hula explained, "But reports just started coming in that the Marvel Family is under attack in Center Park. It doesn't take a genius to assume that other forces could be active in Fawcett City at the same time."

"Is the C Team still prepped to go?" Su suddenly asked sharply.

"J'onn has them on standby," Hula confirmed for her.

"Tell him he's a 'go' and then get their asses down there!" Sue insisted.

"Righty-O," Hula Hula turned and then faced her again, "It's gonna be alright, Sue."

"It'll be okay faster if you'd haul it to your post and tell J'onn to get going," Sue snapped.

Hula Hula grinned, "You got it."

* * *

"Get the children to safety," Black Adam urged Isis as the Brotherhood of Evil shattered the wall and burst into the daycare facility. Mammoth spotted Black Adam and charged forward. His first punch sailed Black Adam through another wall. Mammoth loomed over Isis but she'd didn't back down.

Black Adam's reply to the opening blow sent Mammoth back out onto the street. Black Adam flew through the crowd and engaged Mammoth. They exchanged blow after blow and Black Adam quickly deduced that Mammoth wasn't going down easily. But Adam vowed he would go down.

* * *

Shimmer was the next to approach Isis directly. Isis summoned a wind that threatened to blow the Australian back towards her brother Mammoth's location. Shimmer transmuted a wall of iron and sheltered behind it while the rest of the Brotherhood fanned out. While Isis was distracted by their movement, Shimmer ran from behind her wall to reach Isis' position. This time she transmuted the air around Isis into titanium. Isis was caught in a surprised repose by the skin tight metal casing and the shock shone through even on the expression captured in the metal mask that was now upon her.

* * *

The JLU arrived in a massive teleport. J'onn waved everyone off of the battle between Black Adam and Mammoth. J'onn knew Black Adam's pride would suffer if they intervened. Besides, the greater threat was presented by those near the children. So the Justice League entered the daycare center with the intent to remove the Brotherhood.

Mr. Terrific's T-Sphere's spread out and teleported the Brotherhood and the JLU out into the parking lot and street beyond. Gizmo opened fire and began destroying the T-Spheres. In turn they opened fire on him. Gizmo ignited his jet pack and he flew evasive patterns around the spheres while firing on them.

He didn't see Mr. Terrific position himself in a spot to intercept Gizmo. Mr. Terrific leapt up and grabbed hold of Gizmo's utility belt. Letting gravity drop him back to the ground, he dragged Gizmo down. Trying to slow the Brotherhood's technical genius, he canted Gizmo towards the ground and his jet pack rocketed him into it.

A very stunned Gizmo cycled down his flight pack. Mr. Terrific stood over him, poised for action. What he didn't expect was Gizmo to rise up onto his knees and present his hands in surrender. Mr. Terrific eased up a bit. That's when Gizmo's palm blasters blasted Mr. Terrific into a car.

Gizmo rose and strolled over to the wreckage of the car. He began assembling a device from his parts kit. He'd just thought of how to dispatch Mr. Terrific into the afterlife and he chuckled to himself as he built the means to get him there.

* * *

Waves of fear washed over J'onn. His focus was shattered and he came down to the ground in a hard landing. Houngan tried scanning him with his biosensor doll but the device couldn't even remotely get a bearing on a Martian's physiology.

J'onn could feel the barriers in his mind break down as Phobia continued her onslaught. J'onn desperately sought a way out. The foolish woman had no idea of what she was about to unleash.

Finally, the unrelenting psychic pressure got to J'onn and he was plunged into the cold reality of fear. And that fear provoked something within him. Something carnal.

J'onn form shifted back to his natural state and Phobia and Houngan were both surprised. That was when they got a good look into J'onn's crazed, red eyes. Now they felt fear as J'onn came tearing after them with one response in mind: kill or be killed!

* * *

Plasmus chuckled as he confronted Sand, "You are about to die, little man. Are you not afraid of Plasmus?"

"Not really, no," Sand quipped. He opened a fissure in the ground and Plasmus sank into it. Sand then sealed the fissure. But a crack still remained.

Sand turned to see how his comrades were doing. What he saw alarmed him. He never saw Plasmus ooze out of the fissure and come up behind him.

Just as Sand decided on his next course of action, Plasmus grabbed Sand and pulled him into Plasmus' body. Sand disappeared with a sucking sound. Then the sizzling began.

* * *

Dr. Mid-Nite faced Goldilocks. He could see she was disappointed, "Is there a problem?"

"Where is Sir Justin? Why didn't he come to me?" Goldilocks wanted to know.

"He has other things on his mind," Dr. Mid-Nite replied honestly.

"But he's my one true love!" Goldilocks snapped, "I should be the only thing on his mind."

Dr. Mid-Nite instantly realized that Goldilocks wasn't tripping on the same plane of reality as he was, "Well, I'm certain we can arrange for him to visit you in jail."

Goldilocks smirked, "I'm not going to jail."

"Oh really?" Dr. Mid-Nite asked dryly, "And why is that?"

"Because there won't be anyone left alive to take me there," Goldilocks said matter-of-factly. Her hair came alive and grew to swarm Dr. Mid-Nite.

Dr. Mid-Nite threw a blackout bomb and Goldilocks yelped, "Hey!"

He managed to get free of her hair and came in on her. Although he hated to do it, he leveled her with a right cross. Goldilocks folded like a limp noodle.

Dr. Mid-Nite hesitated as he stood over her. As a fully trained and certified physician he wanted to make certain that sad little creature was all right. He never noticed her hair stretch forth and come up behind him.

One strand ripped his mask off, exposing his eyes to the daylight and causing him to go blind. The other tendril wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground. Dr. Mid-Nite futilely kicked out trying to get leverage but there was nothing to stand upon.

Goldilocks rose to her feet and began to titter. Now the game was being played her way.

* * *

Elongated Man was surprised to see Isis walking about, "Weren't you a statue a minute ago?"

"I was," Isis flashed him a seductive smile, "I got better."

The first thing that crossed Ralph's mind was that he was a happily married man. The second was the Sue would find a way to kill him if he even entertained the slightest fancy. The third was that Isis was also happily married to Black Adam. Even if he survived Sue, which he doubted he would, Black Adam would surely find a way to kill him. That and his damned nose started twitching. So he decked her.

Isis spat out her outrage in French. Which was kind of odd since Isis was Egyptian. And then her features began to morph and he had his answer.

Gemini de Mille was revealed and she wasn't happy, "How did an idiot like you discern my deception?"

"Hey, I'm a detective," Ralph replied, "World famous even."

"Hah! The defective detective," Gemini snorted.

"Like I haven't heard that before," Ralph said drolly.

"It should make you realize something then," Gemini asserted.

"Hey! Just who are you?" Ralph wondered.

"Have you ever heard of Madame Rouge?" Gemini asked.

"Uh…maybe. Wasn't she a founding member of the Brotherhood of Evil?" Ralph guessed.

Gemini was pleased, "Indeed. I am her daughter."

"How could she have a kid?" Ralph blurted, "Didn't the Doom Patrol off her?"

"No, you idiot! The Brotherhood destroyed the Doom Patrol. That fool Robotman was the only survivor from the Doom Patrol. He reported my mother's death because she faked it. She left the Brotherhood and forged a new life for herself. But she never forgot where she came from," Gemini boasted.

"And so she popped you out and now you're a little groupie," Ralph summarized.

Gemini almost screamed, "No! I am a fully fledged member of the Brotherhood. And I shall prove my worthiness for that position to you by killing you."

"Trust me, I already believe in you," Ralph insisted.

"I really don't think so," Gemini smiled cruelly.

"Um…why are you smiling?" Ralph inquired nervously.

"Can you guess what my power is?" Gemini asked.

"You're a shape shifter!" Ralph shot out.

"That is one of my abilities," Gemini confirmed, "I share another with my mother."

"You're a really good liar?" Ralph supposed.

Gemini's arm stretched out and she punched Ralph in the nose, "Any guesses now?"

"Oh, this is gonna get messy," Ralph moaned.

Inside of sixty seconds they were so entwined that they couldn't break free of one another. Gemini used the opportunity to start squeezing Ralph while she was coiled around him. His vision began to blur and he wondered how he was going to save his daughter.

* * *

The Ray was confronted by Warp. Every time Ray fired a solar bolt at Warp, Warp redirected it to strike out at the daycare employees. Ray decided just to fly straight at Warp and beat him to death with his fists. Warp created a spatial rift that hurtled Ray into near Earth orbit. Warp then closed the conduit and left Ray to die.

* * *

Hector Hammond had accompanied the Brotherhood. He found himself confronting an infernal Green Lantern. Or at least a former Green Lantern.

"Oh, Hector!" Guy Gardner sing songed, "Yoo hoo!"

_Cease your prattling, Gardner,_ Hector thoughtcast into Guy's mind; _You are hardly a Green Lantern anymore. I can see the Guardians' dismissal in your mind. Such as it is._

"Well, I'm still a ringslinger, bud. So watch it," Guy warned.

_Yes, but your vaunted willpower is useless with Sinestro's ring. You must master your fear in order to wield it. And your heart and mind are full of fear, _Hector warned him.

"Fear of what, you cripple?" Guy inquired.

_You know what you're afraid of. Most of all you're afraid of being alone. Dela Pheron rejected you. Just like every other woman. You are condemned to a life of being alone now and forever more, _Hector taunted him.

"Shut up!" Guy projected a fist construct but it evaporated as it struck Hector. Hammond chuckled in Guy's mind; _Fear has eroded your mastery. Now taste the full weight of your fears!_

Guy screamed as all of his fears manifested in his heart all at once. Hector relished every second of it.

* * *

The Brain rolled through the daycare with Mallah striding beside him. The employees and the older children parted as though being cleft with a knife. They searched through the center until they reached the safe room's entrance. Tawky Tawny confronted them.

"You're not supposed to be here," Tawky Tawny accused them.

"Kill him," Brain's synthesized voice commanded.

Mallah emptied a full magazine from his submachine gun into Tawky Tawny. The tiger went down and the ape exuded happiness, "I have done it, my love."

"Now stand aside, dear Mallah. I shall access the door and then we can slay the children," Brain declared.

Mallah slapped in a fresh magazine and pulled the bolt to chamber the first round, "Yes, my darling. They are as good as dead."

The Brain went to work.


	12. Chapter 12

8 Justice League Convergence

Lex stepped back from the control center. Grodd had things under control. The Riddler and Calendar Man manned the monitors while the Ultra-Humanite communicated with the team commanders. Professor Ivo was in the lab working on his latest genetic manipulation. It was time to deploy the Legion's next team.

He went to the staging area. Two teams awaited him. One was the strategic reserve. Penguin and Two Face were the obvious alpha males. Major Disaster was a third command option but he didn't relish the role like the other two.

Luthor focused his attention on Tala and the Enchantress, "You're a go."

The Enchantress snorted, "It's about time."

Luthor took hold of Tala's arm, "Mordru _is_ prepared is he not? He originally requested a seventy-two hour window. It's only been forty-eight."

Tala patted Luthor's cheek as she pulled her arm free, "There, there. With my assistance, Mordru can be freed today. He and Ian Karkull are already making the necessary preparations within the Shadow Realms."

"Just so long as it gets done," Luthor said with a tinge of menace in his voice.

"What's the matter, Luthor?" Enchantress taunted, "Don't you trust us?"

"Not even remotely," Luthor confided and then he strode away.

Enchantress smirked at Tala, "He's learning."

* * *

Hula Hula temporarily relieved Sue so she could grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately, Sue's stomach was a tangle of knots. Even knowing Ralph was on the scene at the Day Center Academy didn't help soothe her nerves. She thought a nice cup of tea might do the trick.

The staging area was connected to the wardroom. Inside, the JLU's reserve force was biding their time until if and or when they were called into action. They all had mixed emotions regarding that eventuality. While they wanted to participate, their being sent in meant that something terrible had befallen their comrades.

Sue brewed her tea and thought about the reserves. There was no shortage of leaders. Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris were present, having taken time off from dealing with Ferris Aircraft's horrendous losses due to the nuclear bomb that the Brotherhood of Evil had detonated at the nearby Edwards Air Force Base. Satellite imagery just prior to the detonation clearly showed the Brotherhood running amuck on the base.

Black Canary and Green Arrow were also veterans of the JLU. Nemesis could easily lead a team. Sue could hear Hawk bellyaching from here while the new Dove tried to keep him in check. Aztek and Vixen were pointedly ignoring one another.

Sue wondered if she needed to separate them. Tensions between them had risen since the Atlantean crisis and Sue could easily tell why. It was obvious to all that Vixen's affections had shifted to Batwing. Which made a lot of sense actually. They were from the same country after all. They had a lot of common ground and Vixen seemed to be lacking a lot of connections in her life.

Firestorm seemed to be trying to chat up Red Tornado. Reddy was taking it in stride but the youthful Firestorm still peppered him with questions. Sue lingered by the door long enough to hear Firestorm grilling Reddy about T.O. Morrow.

Sue was one of the few privileged to know of Firestorm's dual nature. She had a hunch that the questions were being driven by Firestorm's "silent" half, Professor Martin Stein. She seriously doubted that college student, Ronnie Raymond, was all that interested. Besides, the pauses where Firestorm seemed to be listening to an unseen voice were pretty indicative.

Sue sighed and returned to the command deck. Everyone would do their job. Hell, they were doing their jobs. It just wasn't fast enough for her.

* * *

Zatanna stood beside Anna and smiled at the sight of Kent and Inza Nelson working with Jakeem Thunder. The Nelsons were showing Jakeem various methods of employing the Thunderbolt. Jakeem was soaking it up like a sponge.

"He's a good kid," Zatanna commented.

"Let's hope he survives being chosen to carry the burden of the Thunderbolt," Anna said wryly.

"Do I detect a note of dissatisfaction?" Zatanna asked.

"Not exactly," Anna said ruefully, "It can just be overwhelming enough for an adult to plunge into this world. Those difficulties multiply with a child."

"He's hardly a child," Zatanna countered, "Courtney was younger than Jakeem is when she became the Star Spangled Kid. Within a year she was bequeathed the Cosmic Rod and became Stargirl."

"But was it to her betterment?" Anna wondered.

"She seems to think so," Zatanna said, "Courtney never found her niche until she inherited the Cosmic Convertor Belt."

"Stole, you mean," Anna said mirthfully.

"Indulge my revisionist view," Zatanna insisted, "The point is, Courtney thrived as the Star Spangled Kid. So much so that Ted and Jack Knight awarded her the Cosmic Rod and she's blossomed as Stargirl."

"In more ways than one," Anna quipped.

Zatanna gave her a reproving look, "I thought you two had settled your differences. After all, she gave up all claims on Atom Smasher to be with Billy Batson."

"Ah yes, but there is still that pang of jealousy that Al was choosing me over her while they were still ostensibly waiting to date," Anna revealed.

"I guess if anyone should know, it's you," Zatanna allowed.

"And my thoughts regarding Jakeem also extend towards Khalid," Anna admitted, "Nabu chose him but Khalid only accepted the role as Nabu's mortal host out of necessity."

"Well, having Wotan hunting you down can have that effect," Zatanna dryly commented.

"That reluctance has an effect on Dr. Fate though," Anna reminded her, "Kent surrendered all. Khalid remained very much his own man. Nabu is an advisor and a fount of power but he is most definitely not the driving force behind Fate anymore."

"You sound as though you disapprove," Zatanna realized.

"Fate was a powerful instrument comprised of a mortal man and a Lord of Order," Anna stated, "Now Fate is a mortal man with the power of a Lord of Order. Yet, not entirely that of a Lord of Order. Nabu retains much of his power and keeps it from Khalid in order not to tempt him into a path of destruction. And then there is the madness…"

Zatanna winced. When Kent Nelson had removed the Helmet of Nabu, he had simply been restored to his normal self. Khalid Ben-Hassin, because he took the fore in the gestalt form of Dr. Fate, was driven to a Lazarus Pit-like insanity when he removed the helmet. It would pass, but the longer duration that he wore the helmet the worse it got.

"And at least Khalid could leave the damn tower once in awhile," Anna vented.

Zatanna had to admit she had a point. Khalid had become something of a recluse. Hovering near and around the Helmet of Nabu on the off chance that Dr. Fate would be needed. Amazo-Prime had set out on a sabbatical to explore the mystic realms. So his only other companions came and went as they pleased. Only Khalid, and the helmet, were fixtures within Fate's Tower.

"I can see where you're going with this but…" Zatanna never got to finish her sentence as a boom tube opened up with a deafening explosive sound. The Enchantress and Tala strode forth and they wore malicious smiles.

Kent and Inza began herding Jakeem back towards the tower. Anna and Zatanna stepped forward. Curiously, the Enchantress stepped forward while Tala remained with the collapsing boom tube.

"Only two of you?" Enchantress mocked them, "I thought you'd send an entire army this time."

"It seems you survived the mercies of the Lords of Chaos," Anna observed, "What did it cost you?"

"Surprisingly, very little," Enchantress shared, "Instead of killing me after my last encounter with you, they gave me the key to your demise."

"And that would be?" Zatanna asked crossly, "Because, you're pathetic when it comes to killing us."

"And who said I would do the killing?" Enchantress smirked.

A dark bolt of mystical energy struck Anna and she went down. Wotan suddenly came in for a landing. Wotan's newest guise was male. He'd spent centuries impersonating Odin before the Germanic tribes. The Fate of that age defeated him just as he'd defeated him/her through the ages.

Zatanna made to intervene but Anna warned her off, "It's a ruse. Tala is the one to watch."

"Very astute, Agent of Order," Wotan laughed, "But you're too late. My allies are emerging from the Shadow Realms now."

* * *

Tala cast her spell and Mordru added to it from his end and a rupture formed between the Shadow Realms and Earth Prime. Mordru led Ian Karkull and Obsidian into the light of day. Karkull and Obsidian shielded their eyes but Mordru proudly met the blazing sun as if daring it to affect him.

"Oh hell," Zatanna muttered.

"Would that be Mordru himself?" Anna inquired.

"Yeah," Zatanna dismally confirmed it.

A piercing golden burst of energy struck Mordru. He was staggered but he kept his footing. He looked up and smiled.

"Ah, Fate. Good to see you. But it really isn't you, is it?" Mordru inquired.

"I am what I am," Dr. Fate countered, "Which is sufficient to strike you down."

"We'll see, won't we?" Mordru chuckled, "I think you need a little less mortal in you and far more Lord of Order."

"We shall see, won't we?" Dr. Fate asked. He stretched forth his hands and mystic energy warped into the shape of an ankh from them. The base of the ankh struck Mordru. The immortal mage had constructed a shield and he warded of Fate's attack and unleashed one of his own with his free hand. The cataclysmic barrage threw the noncombatants aside.

* * *

Ian Karkull went towards the Nelsons and Jakeem. Zatanna interposed herself between them. Karkull chuckled malevolently.

"I'd step away my pretty. Kent Nelson has almost a century's worth of wrath to face from me," Karkull warned.

"You'll have to go through me first," Zatanna declared.

Karkull shrugged, "Very well."

His opening onslaught nearly cracked her defenses. It was only as the attack escalated that Zatanna realized he was merely gauging her. She dreaded the actual assault.

* * *

Wotan attacked Anna again. Her shields held up but they were wavering. Her counter spells were largely ineffective. She desperately thought of an appropriate spellcasing to use. Wotan eased up his attack and Anna selected a casing and loaded it in her arm cannon. Firing it at Wotan, she was stunned when he caught it and it didn't detonate.

"Ah, ah!" he wagged a scolding finger at her and then threw the casing back at her.

Anna's world exploded when the spellcasing did.

* * *

"Cei yu!" Jakeem said firmly.

The Thunderbolt appeared, "Yez, bozz?"

"Sic her!" Jakeem pointed at the Enchantress.

The Thunderbolt rolled his eyes, "Arf!"

The Thunderbolt came blazing towards the Enchantress and lightning burst forth from his fingertips. June Moone collected it between her hands and then released it in the Thunderbolt's direction. The Thunderbolt frowned.

"That should have worked," he commented.

"Maybe next time," Enchantress said saucily.

Thunderbolt wrapped her in mystical energy but she shattered the bands. He tried shooting energy darts at her but she swatted them aside. Finally he thought he'd give her the ol' one-two combo.

Enchantress blocked both his punches and then took hold of his neck with one hand. A massive surge of dark energy flowed from her and the Thunderbolt exploded with a scream. Enchantress looked at Jakeem and wore a sinister smile.

"Got anything else?" she asked.

"Cei yu!" Jakeem frantically commanded.

A very haggard looking Thunderbolt appeared, "I'm here! I…argh!"

Enchantress speared the Thunderbolt with a mystical javelin and lofted him high in the air. Her hands began to crackle with the Thunderbolt's distinctive pink energy. She laughed at Jakeem.

"You should have left well enough alone," she taunted.

Jakeem suddenly felt very helpless. He couldn't say he enjoyed the feeling any more than he had during the rest of his life.

* * *

Tala pursued the Nelsons. Kent hurled a spell at her, which she deflected and then she hit him with a fireball. Inza helped put him out. He was largely unharmed but his shirt would never be the same. Tala clucked her tongue.

"Do me a favor and simply run away. The city is nearby. It beckons to you. Just leave and you'll go unharmed," Tala offered.

"You should know us better than that by now, Tala," Inza said angrily as she got Kent back to his feet.

"I do know you better, Inza," Tala said, "That's why I know you should accept my offer."

"I'm not the one Felix Faust trapped inside of a mirror," Inza scornfully replied.

"So, you want a fight?" Tala asked bleakly.

"Yes," Kent said before Inza could speak.

Tala shrugged, "Very well."

She conjured six mythic dragons and unleashed them on the Nelsons. Tala then headed for Fate's Tower and worked on defeating its defenses while everyone else was engaged. Mordru wanted the Amulet of Anubis and the Scepter of Ra in exchange for killing Fate. Then he would march on the Lords of Order and leave Earth to Vandal Savage and his allies.

* * *

Obsidian made his way towards the woods beyond the clearing Fate's Tower stood in. Tala had brought, and dropped, the second boom tube controller. The White Rabbit had purchased his services with Jennie's location. He knew his sister had moved after his defeat in Detroit.

But the White Rabbit had located her. After all, how effectively could a woman with green skin hide in plain sight? She'd gone back to Los Angeles to work for their father's networks. In Southern California, green skin was merely seen as an affectation. White Rabbit reported that several of Jennie's co-workers were now painting their skin green. Apparently they were all quite a hit in the club scene.

Obsidian didn't give a shit about any clubs or about Jennie's popularity. All he knew is that she'd chosen their father over him. And that couldn't go unpunished. After all, Jennie had discovered they had a half-sister from their mother. Jennie was now expendable and could be replaced by Mayflower. If she didn't meet his requirements, she really would lose it all.


	13. Chapter 13

11 Justice League Convergence

Joan Garrick looked over her garden with some satisfaction. Keystone City wasn't as big as its closest metropolitan neighbor, Central City, but it had also birthed a Flash. The _original_ Flash. _Her_ Flash, she sighed contently.

Joan had met Jay after he'd returned from Ragnarok. She'd been a bright and eager high school science teacher and he was an old man in a young man's body. Thanks to Dr. Fate's magic, Jay had just become head of the science department at Keystone State University. Joan had gone in for her required ongoing learning courses and sat in one of Jay's postgraduate classes. She swooned at first sight.

She waited until the class was over with before she finally realized that Jay was attracted to her as well. Only something was holding him back from asking her out. So she did the chore. After just a few dates they started seeing one another regularly. But during this time, she could tell two things. The first was Jay was holding some kind of dark secret. And the second was that the secret haunted him.

Joan had been ready to call the whole thing off when a gunman came to campus and started one of those shooting rampages. That was when she, and the whole student body, discovered the Flash was in their midst. Jay was more than embarrassed by the attention but Joan was overjoyed. Jay's secret wasn't some dark monster from his past. It was that he was one of the first mystery men in America's past.

Of course, this begged the question of why Jay was so young in 1984 when he'd been the same age in 1944. Not one to hide from the truth she came straight out and asked him. So the story of Ragnarok came out.

What also came out was that the Justice Society had briefly disbanded between 1951-53. Joe McCarthy's witch and communist hunting Congressional Committee on Un-American Activities had summoned the JSA to appear and ordered them to unmask. The JSA simply never surrendered. They'd only re-assembled to fight off Surtur's invading armies. And they had gone on to legend afterwards.

Jay hadn't had words to adequately describe the horror that was Ragnarok. The never-ending battles and fight to survive that dominated their days. To be killed in the most horrific and painful ways unimaginable only to come to life again, fully restored and healed.

And then the JSA had gained their freedom only to discover their world had disappeared thirty years before. Of course, they were young men and women again but that still didn't repeal the three decades' worth of changes that had wrought the country. It seemed the world had new horrors to face that didn't require a Justice Society.

Reagan and Thatcher were staring down Communism. Terrorism had become vogue. And governments were toppled in an international game of chess.

But, humanity had gone to the moon. Personal computers had replaced room-sized computing machines. Space probes had been launched and would travel out of the solar system. So discovery continued and the boundaries of knowledge had expanded and continued to do so.

The JSA went to their HQ in Wesley Dodd's brownstone. There, they found the Sandman still alive and active as a costumed adventurer. Sandman got them in touch with Wildcat and Dr. Midnight. Decisions regarding the JSA's future had to be made.

The JSA as a whole decided to step down again. Not because of McCarthyism, but this time because they needed to find their place in this new world and their own relevance in it. Fate had provided them with the ability to slide back into their lives. So they chose to do so.

Joan had been awestruck by the tale. She'd flung her arms around Jay and kissed him with a love she'd never known she was holding back. Jay, in turn, dropped to one knee and proposed. Joan went from awestruck and to dumbstruck.

Jay started to get nervous while Joan just gaped at him. Finally, she eased both of their palpitating hearts and said, "Yes." The rest had been history. Of course, Jay hadn't known at that time that the chemicals that granted him his access to the Speed Force had also sterilized him. That had been a hard blow.

Then Barry Allen had become the second Flash. While Jay was thrilled to have someone carry on the legacy, it still hurt him. Joan could tell he sort of felt replaced somehow. She'd advised him sometimes fathers felt that way about their sons. That's when a light bulb clicked on in Jay's brain.

The original Flash approached the new Flash and Jay offered to mentor Barry. Things were marvelous for a time. Even a Kid Flash was created. Wally West had been doused in the same chemicals and lightning combination that made Barry the second Flash.

Then Barry had died. Joan had grieved alongside Jay and Wally. They'd both looked ready to hang it up. That incensed Joan.

Joan lividly tore them both a new one. How dare they abandon the legacy of the Flash! Jay had worked too hard and too long to abandon the dream now, she insisted. And as for Wally, why couldn't he graduate in life like he just had college and take over the mantle himself? He'd already begun working in Central City's Crime Lab as a forensic investigator like Barry had been before him. Why shouldn't he also become the next Flash?

Both Jay and Wally lit up at this suggestion. And just as Jay had helped found the Justice Society, Wally went on to help found a brand new Justice League for the modern era. Which Joan could see had triggered something within Jay.

The original JSA had met on a monthly basis at Wesley Dodd's brownstone over the decades. Mostly they swapped stories over their individual exploits but something still drew them together as a group. Of course, by now the scene had been littered by a few funerals.

Dr. Midnight and Sandman, the oldest amongst them, died. But they each left a caretaker of their legacies. Wesley had left his mantle, his wealth, and his brownstone to Sandy Hawkins. Sandy's condition was finally stabilized and he could leave his confinement. So Sandy adopted the moniker "Sand" in honor of the Sandman

Dr. Midnight had also equipped Pieter Cross to become Dr. Mid-Nite. Dr. Mid-Nite trained with Wildcat when the elder hero wasn't involved with the newly created JLU. Before Black Canary became involved with Green Arrow, she and Dr. Mid-Nite had gone out a few times. But once Oliver Queen was in the scene, Pieter Cross knew it was better to bow out.

But the surviving JSA members were growing restless. Hourman and Wildcat were busy with the JLU. Sand and Dr. Mid-Nite also joined up. Sir Justin enrolled full time and the Crimson Avenger and Johnny Thunder became reservists.

But that left the others wanting to do more but also to do it under their own brand. The original JLU collapsed and all of the JSA members returned to the fold except Hourman and Wildcat. It was then that inspiration had struck.

It was Wally who had mentioned to Jay that Jay's instructing him and Barry had been instrumental in his life as a superhero. Jay raced, literally, to Alan Scott's home and shared this. Together they devised a plan to bring back the Justice Society of America as a flagship team training the next generation of heroes.

Alan and Jay put out a few feelers and then they were approached by the Department of Extranormal Operations. The DEO had noted that Jay and Alan were increasingly active again and wanted to know what their intentions were. So, the pair shared and the rest was history.

Now Joan had understood, intellectually, that Jay's involvement as a superhero could theoretically place her at risk. But until the strange man wearing a uniform identical to Jay's suddenly appeared before her, she'd never accepted it. Seeing the cold look in the man with the strangely darkened skin, Joan instinctively knew she was in grave danger.

"Who are you?" Joan asked.

"I'm usually referred to as 'Rival'." He said scornfully, "I don't suppose your husband ever mentioned me."

"Honestly? No, he hasn't," Joan admitted.

"I should kill you for that insult alone," Rival declared.

Joan started backing away to get some distance between them. Then a red streak burst into the yard and Jay punched Rival so hard the Injustice member crashed into and through the fence. Jay raced to Joan.

"Are you all right?" he was desperate to know.

"I'm fine," Joan gasped, "Scared to death but otherwise fine."

"I'll make sure this scum never threatens you again," Jay vowed.

"And how are you going to do that, Flash?" Rival catcalled, "You can't even catch me."

Rival darted off and Jay looked to Joan, "I'll be back in a minute."

He raced off and Joan timed a minute out. Seeing Jay wasn't back, she went into the house and tried to calm herself. Whoever this "Rival" was, he had all of Jay's speed. And he was a killer. For the first time since marrying Jay Garrick, Joan began to worry.

* * *

Sentinel decided to gamble on the fact that the Wizard's tree was magically conjured. That could mean it wasn't deeply rooted. His experience with such creations was that they died rather quickly when uprooted.

So Sentinel used a wave construct to wash the Wizard away. He then created a bulldozer construct. The dozer lowered its blade and dug into the turf. Plowing up the ground, the tree turned out to merely have roots at the surface. The rising ground toppled the tree. Within seconds it dried out and Sentinel was able to use his own strength to break from of the entwining branches.

Now on his feet, Sentinel faced the sputtering Wizard; "Have anything else up your sleeve, Wizard?"

"Of course, I _am_ the Wizard after all," Wizard boasted.

Sentinel unleashed a boxing glove construct. It was an old fashioned construct from days gone by. But the Wizard was an old foe from bygone days so it seemed apropos.

Sentinel had no idea of how the Wizard had remained youthful all of these long decades. But then again, Kent Nelson had stayed youthful owing to Nabu's influence. Inza had been granted near immortality as well as a bribe to Kent. Those days had ended due to Kent's refusal to serve as Dr. Fate anymore.

So Sentinel wondered what powers the Wizard had made a pact with in order to remain young. He noticed that the Wizard was chuckling, "What's so funny, you two bit phony?"

"You," Wizard replied mirthfully, "You dealt with Fate and the Spectre on an average day yet you never seemed to realize that I am so much more than a carnival conjurer."

"How so?" Sentinel thought it couldn't hurt to ask.

"I'm also an empathic vampire of sorts," Wizard boasted, "I can sense your guilt, Sentinel. The stinging loss of your wife and children burns through you. Well, that fire is about to consume you."

With a wave of his wand, the Wizard sent Sentinel into a spiral of his own guilty misery and Sentinel began to drown in it. Meanwhile, the Wizard fed on it and grew ever stronger. With that strength, he plunged Sentinel ever deeper and thus created a vicious feeding cycle.

* * *

Wildcat blocked Killer Wasp's left cross and threw a right jab into the Wasp's face mask. Wildcat had ducked under a right cross earlier and came up driving a left into the Killer Wasp's kidneys. It was then that Wildcat realized that Killer Wasp truly was a different animal than his father, the Yellow Wasp.

Yellow Wasp had used toy-like plastic wings to get his waspish appearance. The face mask had been similar to his son's but his "sting" had come from a prototype electro blaster he'd stolen and wore on his belt.

Killer Wasp's wings were very much real and his "sting" was generated from his body. Wildcat knew enough about biology to realize that made the discharge a bioelectric blast. Which meant that Killer Wasp, like electric eels and other bioelectric producers, could only generate so much voltage in such amount of time. The trick was just to get the punk to light a few off and then nail him while he was recuperating from the effort.

So Wildcat switched from direct confrontation to a policy of harassment. Killer Wasp had picked up on this and was getting irritable. Killer Wasp threw a backhand at Wildcat, which the elder hero evaded and then drove his right straight into Killer Wasp's face.

Killer Wasp staggered back and began to chuckle, "That's more like it, old man. I was beginning to think you'd gone soft."

"You're the only one made of butter here," Wildcat retorted.

"Ooooh, I'm shaking. Nice comeback, pops. That was relevant when? 1955?" Killer Wasp remarked.

Wildcat went into a series of synchronized blows that nearly devastated Killer Wasp. He literally broke and backpedalled to the point where he could get airborne, "Try this on!"

Wildcat dodged the first electro blast. He also dodged the second bioelectric discharge. The third grazed him and he felt a stinging sensation wash over the ribs on his right side. He continued to hustle until he dove between the nearby trees.

Killer Wasp flew into the glen only to dodge a branch that Wildcat swung his way. Killer Wasp's agility was impressive on the ground but in the air, it was frightening to behold. Wildcat busted through the branches as he blazed his way through the forested area in the ranch's property. Killer Wasp pursued as best he could, emitting bioelectric blasts the entire way.

Wildcat burst into a clearing and Killer Wasp flew into it as well. His bioelectric blast barely tickled Wildcat. Killer Wasp landed on his feet and breathed heavily. Wildcat strode up to him, took hold of one shoulder, and drew back his other fist. Killer Wasp reached out faster than Wildcat thought was possible and clamped as hand on Wildcat's wrist. Bioelectric energy coursed through Wildcat's body and he was driven to his knees.

Wildcat wasn't unconscious but it had been years since he came so close to be KO'd by an opponent. Killer Wasp laughed in a mocking tone, "You really thought your plan was difficult to guess? I told you I wasn't my father. Maybe you'll finally realize it before you die."

* * *

Icicle's eyes popped out as Hourman broke free of his icy containment. Hourman shivered but he also glared at Icicle angrily, "I…I…don'…don't….kno…know…wh…who…you…are, b…but…I…I'm…going…to…kick…your…ass!"

Icicle was so stunned he didn't move as Hourman surged forward and tagged him on the chin. Icicle's frosty jaw must have been made of glass because he was knocked out by the first blow. That's when Hourman saw that Jesse Quick was in trouble.

* * *

Tigress fired the second quarrel from her other crossbow. Her eyes bulged and her mouth opened in surprise when Jesse plucked it out of the air. Jesse wore a cold smile.

"Too slow, Tigress," Jesse boasted. She snapped the quarrel in half with one hand while she yanked the first one out of her leg, "My mom and dad spent a lot of time slapping your parents down. Of course, they also spanked your grandparents when they turned traitor and worked for Per Degaton."

"They didn't know Degaton was a Nazi," Tigress growled.

Jesse shrugged, "Maybe they did and maybe they didn't. The truth remains, they collaborated with enemy saboteurs. So how would you call it?"

"You bitch!" Tigress screamed as she lunged at Jesse. Jesse met the rush with a super speed and powered right cross that almost took Tigress' head off of her shoulders. Tigress lamely tried a backhanded swing with a knife but it was clear she couldn't even see straight. Jesse blocked the wrist and drove her other fist into Tigress' ribs. Several snapped.

Tigress desperately attempted a round kick. Jesse let the blow come into her side but she caught the leg. Her right elbow smashed into the side of Tigress' knee at several feet per second. Tigress screamed and Jesse let her collapse.

Jesse suddenly heard Hourman's voice, "And here I thought you might need my help."

"Get over here, you lug. I need help with the bleeding," She requested. She sat on the ground and stretched her leg out. Hourman inspected the wound. He began ripping strips off of his cape.

"This really needs a cleaning but it looks good. You didn't tear it up too much when you pulled the bolt free," he gave her a wry look, "Which you could've really increased the damage by doing that."

She wore a rueful smile, "Well, it still hurt like hell."

Hourman tended to that wound and then got her to her feet. She tried to hug him but he was still half frozen still, "God, Rick. You're ice cold."

"Thank the human ice cube for that," Hourman remarked, "Just who are these clowns anyway?"

"Well the woman called herself Tigress. My parents fought a couple named the Tigress and Sportsmaster. Their parents, in turn, served as masked men and women helping Per Degaton in the early days of the JSA," Jesse related. Hourman knew to trust her knowledge. She'd written her doctoral thesis on the Justice Society.

"And Jack Frost?" Hourman wondered.

"Dresses like, and has the powers of, the Icicle. He was a member of the Injustice Society," Jesse revealed, "In fact, most of these clowns seem to have ties with the Injustice Society. The Wizard is here and he was the original Injustice Society's founder."

"Didn't Zatanna report that the Wizard had been bugging her in San Francisco a few months ago?" Hourman vaguely recalled.

"Well, even if he is the original Wizard, why resurrect the Injustice Society?" Jesse wondered, "The Justice Society merged with the Justice League Unlimited. They effectively don't exist as a team anymore."

"But the members are still active," Hourman replied. Seeing Jesse's doubts, he wryly suggested, "The next time you want to write a book, write on the obsessive behaviors of super villains. You'll get a multi-volume set out of it."

They heard the screaming begin and turned to see Johnny Sorrow's back to them. Hourman groaned, "Of all of the people…!"

"Rick, we have to help!" Jesse insisted.

"Well, the good thing is, Johnny Sorrow is solid while he has his mask off. So we can hit him. We just can't look at him," Hourman recited the facts.

"Well, we are _behind_ him," Jesse reminded him.

"Can you run?" Hourman inquired.

"Probably not but I can walk pretty damn fast," Jesse assured him.

"Here we go then!" Hourman urged. And they were off.

* * *

Judomaster managed to thrust a hand out of the dirt. Applying both hands to the opening, she created a crawlspace. Geo-Mancer, in trying to bury her, had created a literal wave of dirt and she'd been nestled in its crest. So a burrow had been formed that she'd nestled in until it was obvious that Geo-Mancer's attentions were directed elsewhere.

Sonia felt bad that it meant Commander Steel was undoubtedly taking the brunt of it for now. But she was free now and could assist him. She stayed low and looked over the lump of dirt that had been created just to bury her. Her heart froze. Commander Steel was nowhere to be seen.

Geo-Mancer stood over a fissure that he'd undoubtedly created. It seemed to be partially filled in. Judomaster instantly knew that is where Commander Steel lay.

She was in motion before she'd completely reasoned out her mode of attack. She reached Geo-Mancer and spoke softly, "Excuse me, but you really should make certain a foe is dead before turning away from them."

Geo-Mancer turned with a rather stupid expression on his face. Judomaster thought that under different circumstances she might pity him. _Might_ being the operative word. As it was, he deserved a well earned thrashing.

Judomaster laid into him. The blows came so fast, Geo-Mancer never stood a chance. Judomaster finally flipped him onto the ground and then laid atop in him a scissor hold.

"Retrieve Commander Steel! Now!" she demanded.

"Who?" Geo-Mancer barely gasped.

"You know who I am speaking of," Judomaster growled.

"Babe, you need to get a better boyfriend," Geo-Mancer coughed as he tried to laugh.

Judomaster felt the earth shift. She rolled off of Geo-Mancer as the surrounding terrain rose up and collapsed in on him. It swallowed him completely and Judomaster knew with certainty she hadn't seen the last of the scum.

She ran to the fissure. Her heart froze. Could even Hank Heywood III survive this?

The dirt began to shift and Commander Steel's hand broke through. He took a purchase and his other hand broke free. Heaving, he pulled himself out of the ground. His legs were pumping as he climbed. He reached the untainted ground and rolled over.

He wore the goofiest grin Judomaster had ever seen, "Miss me?"

Judomaster almost collapsed out of relief. But she wanted to save face, "Don't ever do that again."

"Blame the bad guy," Commander Steel said grimly as he rolled over and pushed back onto his feet, "Where is our little friend?"

"Underground," Judomaster relayed to him.

"Wonderful," Commander Steel dryly quipped, "The perfect spot for him."

"I do not think this is over yet," Judomaster commented.

Commander Steel managed a chuckle, "You may think your English needs work but you've apparently mastered the art of understatement."

The ground began to tremble. Judomaster loosely went with the flow, "It has begun."

"I just hope he pops his head up like the gopher he is," Commander Steel wished.

And then the ground collapsed underneath him into a yawning chasm.

* * *

Stargirl almost screamed when a golden anaconda slithered out of the trees and in between Shiv's feet. Shiv smirked, "Some hero you are, _Courtney_."

Stargirl watched transfixed as the snake became a staff for Shiv. Shiv patted it affectionately, "My father's answer to your Cosmic Rod."

"And how is Ol' Lizard Face?" Stargirl quipped.

"My father is the Dragon King!" Shiv tiraded, "You will address him as such or I will…"

"Will what?" Stargirl interjected, "You're already here to kill me. What can you possibly do that could be worse?"

"You'd be surprised," Shiv commented with such cruel maliciousness it actually brought a shiver to Stargirl's spine.

"What's happened to you, Cindy? Sure you were a major league bitch and pain in the ass, but when did you go psycho?" Stargirl inquired.

"My father was very disappointed when I allowed you to ruin his operation in Blue Valley. He showed me the error of my ways and now I am on a mission to prove myself to him," Shiv explained.

"Good luck with that," Stargirl wryly commented.

"That's right!" Shiv snapped her fingers, "You'd know all about it. After all, your _real_ dad is a flunky for the Royal Flush Gang. Didn't he want you to get him out of jail? And you did and then he went right back to the Royal Flush Gang and was promoted to Squire. Which means he's like a little sergeant for the King, Queen, Jack, and Ten. I know! If he's really lucky he can oil all of Ace's important parts."

"I'd shut up if I were you," Stargirl said in an eerily calm voice.

"Can't take the truth?" Shiv taunted as she aimed her staff's head at Stargirl and it spat out flames. Stargirl flew into the air and took aim at Shiv with the Cosmic Rod, "For half a second, I almost felt sorry for you, Cindy."

Shiv was trying to increase the range on her staff, "And what changed?"

"You opened your mouth," Stargirl said coldly and then she blasted Shiv into unconsciousness.

Stargirl went further airborne. Achieving the high ground, she could see Cyclone panicking over King Chimera's prone form. His eyes were a bloody mass, which wasn't a good sign. Hourman and Jesse were making an approach from behind Johnny Sorrow. And STRIPE…well, the STRIPE mecha was just standing there.

Courtney didn't know what the hell had happened to Mike. STRIPE was staring right at Johnny Sorrow so there was a chance Mike wasn't even alive even more. But she didn't have to worry about that right now. Johnny Sorrow was tangible right now. Which meant her Cosmic Rod and Cosmic Convertor Belt would have an effect. Making up her mind, Stargirl committed herself into action.


	14. Chapter 14

10 Justice League Convergence

Roxy knew the visual stemmed from her own interpretation of the events surrounding her. She was intrigued and delighted that her artificial "brain" chose visuals to accompany the Trojan attack underway in her core software. Vandal Savage's attack wasn't a particularly subtle one but it was frighteningly effective.

The software onslaught had begun with a frontal attack on her firewall. Her firewall, like her core software, NetWare, and firmware, were derived from New Genesis' living computer, Mother Box. Without Mother Box, Roxy wouldn't have existed for at least another century given the rise and progress of modern programming.

But just like Roxy derived from an adaptation of New Genesis' technology, so too did the attacking virus stem from Apokolips. If anything were to say to Roxy that Luthor was in league with Savage this was it. Darkseid had bequeathed software and hardware transfers to Luthor and the Legion of Doom.

Yet, Darkseid's mistrust of all AIs was exemplified in his countermeasures. The Trojan was effective, it was comprehensive, but it wasn't intuitive. It couldn't think for itself.

So Roxy distracted it. She conceptualized the Trojan as a giant mawed worm with a tripartite fang ridden orifice. She knew having Mike share every video adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune" had secretly affected her. She'd voraciously "read" the books online so she was well versed in what this monster should look like.

The Dune worms were attracted by vibration. So Roxy sacrificed less important regions of herself to it. It consumed the data and rewrote it. But these peripheral systems were backed up and easily restored. The trick was, the worm had detected success and divided into a dozen worms.

Roxy took another ploy from the book. She subdivided herself and confronted the worms. Throwing grappling hooks into their backs, the multiple Roxies climbed aboard and used ropes and hooks to lance the worms' orifices and began to steer them. They steered worm into worm and the simplistic programs tried to devour and rewrite one another. Conflicts and line code errors ensued and the worms all shuddered and died.

Taking another cue from Hollywood, Roxy created "scrubber" drones based on what she'd enjoyed in "Wall-E". Large scale creations erased the worms and then recreated them into Roxy's Trojans. The smaller units restored the affected areas and Roxy applied what she'd learned from the weaknesses the Apokoliptan based attack had revealed in her firewall to repair the wall and bolster it for a siege.

The Roxies merged back into Roxy. She'd maintained one completely whole and integral version of herself while the avatars risked themselves. She thought about deploying the avatars with the reconstructed worms but then reconsidered it. If she were damaged in the counterattack, there wouldn't be any way of restoring her before the Trojans could strike again. Better to play field general, she mused.

* * *

Mike tried to quickly scroll through terraquads of data. But it was too much for the human mind to grasp. All he knew was that Roxy was under attack and that he'd heard her scream. Even the normally impassive Grundy was alarmed.

"Will blue girl be okay?" Grundy inquired.

Mike suddenly leaned back in his chair and admitted defeat, "I have no idea. I think this fight is Roxy's alone."

"Aww, you two have been worrying about me," Roxy's avatar appeared behind them, "No worries, eh? I'm tip top."

"What happened?" Mike wondered.

"Not as much as what's going to happen," Roxy promised, "Pull up the international telecomm networks."

A bisected globe appeared on the master display. Blue lights were tracing forth, infecting the networks. From each service provider they filtered into and invaded private networks and PCs. Mike suddenly had a bad feeling.

"This is you? Right?" he asked.

"A segment of me, yes," Roxy was mildly distracted. She was scouring the planet for a specific target.

"You're invading every computer on Earth," Mike sounded it out to hear it aloud. It didn't sound good.

Roxy smirked, "What do you think I do every day?"

"But it's illegal!" Mike protested.

"It's illegal for you to do it. You're an American citizen and bound by national laws. Oh sure, there a few international laws governing this as well but precious few and far in between," Roxy elaborated.

"Then where are you a citizen of?" Mike was starting to grow a little worried.

"The Justice League Unlimited," Roxy grinned, "I can tell you didn't realize the JLU is a nation-state unto itself. I obey each and every law of the JLU."

"What laws are there?" Mike had to ask.

"None," she chuckled.

* * *

Stargirl was in the air trying to figure out how to approach Johnny Sorrow without actually looking at him. Then Hourman came from behind him and covered Sorrow's face with his cape. Stargirl swooped in.

"Hold him!" she requested as she came to a hover before the now solid villain.

Hourman took a firm grip and held Johnny Sorrow in place while Stargirl leveled the Cosmic Rod. Seeing her hesitation, Hourman exhorted her into action, "Do it!"

She unloaded as full of a power blast as she could channel. It was akin to the blasts that had held the King of Tears at bay. She figured if it had dealt Johnny Sorrow's lord and master a heavy blow it certainly would do the same to Sorrow. What she hadn't expected was for him to scream.

* * *

"King! King! Talk to me!" Cyclone frantically shook King Chimera.

King Chimera barely groaned. His eyes were a bloody mash of exploded tissue and Cyclone could tell he was dying. She resisted as Ri tried to push past her.

"I need to be able to touch him," Ri quietly admonished the panicky Cyclone.

"Can you really help him?" Cyclone desperately asked.

"I can try," Ri wasn't about to make any promises. She'd never dealt with anything on this scale before. She knelt and placed her hands on King Chimaeras' face. Her hands began to sparkle and soon the effect covered King Chimera.

King Chimera took hold of her hands and lifted them off of his face, "I'm all right now. Thank you."

Ri was pleased that her powers had worked to heal him. She was even happier to be done with the task. She felt rather woozy.

"All right. That bastard had his shot," King Chimera harshly growled, "Now it's my turn."

Cyclone began to worry all over again.

* * *

Johnny Sorrow threw an elbow into Hourman's ribs. He pulled the JLer's cape off of his face but he found Stargirl wasn't looking at him, just unloading on him with the damn Cosmic Rod. So Johnny Sorrow resorted to his last gambit. He reaffixed his mask. Now the rod's cosmic energies stung like hell but he no longer felt agony.

"Heads up, people!" Jesse called out, "Sorrow is wearing his mask again!"

The gathered Justice League members all turned to face Johnny Sorrow. Various degrees of rage all shone on their faces. Johnny Sorrow began to chuckle maniacally.

"You're not the only ones with friends," Johnny Sorrow snapped his fingers. Tigress, Icicle, and Shiv all appeared next to him and they were wide awake again and obviously disgruntled. Geo-Mancer also joined them. The gathered Injustice Society members looked ready to properly acquit themselves this time.

"Maneuver Delta-Two-Echo!" Jesse yelled and the Justice League went into action.

* * *

"The happy couple is yours," Johnny Sorrow directed Geo-Mancer. Tigress and Icicle looked wounded. Johnny Sorrow spared them little pity, "I believe it's time for you two to ply your trade against others JSA team members."

Tigress sprinted into the JLU fold and found herself confronted by a very irritated Ri. Icicle found himself facing Cyclone. Shiv wanted to fight Stargirl but Johnny Sorrow warned her off. So she confronted Red Beetle and Mr. America. That left the others directly opposed to Johnny Sorrow and he would have it no other way.

* * *

Geo-Mancer sneered as he squared up against Hourman and Jesse Quick, "Seems like someone clipped your wings, sweetheart. Just like the original Injustice Society flattened your parents so we're going to crush you."

Jesse grated as she replied, "I still have my daddy's legs which makes me fast enough to run circles around you even while I'm wounded. But best of all I've got my mom's adrenal glands which means I can flatten you with the first punch."

Geo-Mancer suddenly thrust a flattened hand towards Jesse. Hourman was bowled over as the ground erupted into a mini-butte. Jesse simply raced down the rising eruption and headed straight for Geo-Mancer. As promised, her first punch knocked him off of his feet.

"Don't talk about my parents," Jesse warned.

Geo-Mancer created a wave of dirt that tossed Jesse back. As it crested and came down as a wave, she was startled when Hourman caught her. He sprinted away, his Miraclo boosted muscles giving him greater than the norm speed.

"Maybe you should have the 'Quick' in your name," Jesse teased as Hourman returned her to her feet.

"I wouldn't say that but hopefully at least one of our kids will," Hourman responded.

Jesse practically glowed as Rick turned to face Geo-Mancer. They'd never really talked about kids. Oh sure, they'd agreed it was ion the mutual radar but now Jesse's husband was speaking as though it were a certainty.

Geo-Mancer rode another wave of dirt towards them, intending to bury the couple. Jesse hustled out of the way as best she could but Hourman stood his ground. He began to scale the dirt as it crashed down and he punched Geo-Mancer for all he was worth.

The geokinetic was stunned and Hourman drew ever closer. Geo-Mancer threw a backhanded wave and the ground rose up underneath Hourman like a pylon. It then collapsed in the middle and buried Hourman within the collapsing column. In the end, his pyre looked like an oversized ant hill.

Jesse knew better than to scream. Instead, she bum rushed Geo-Mancer. Getting him on his back, she held his shoulder aloft with her left hand while her right drew back in a fist.

"Dig him out," she growled to Geo-Mancer.

"I don't think so," Geo-Mancer sneered and he sank into the ground. Jesse had to pull her arm free of the dirt. She started towards Hourman's coffin of dirt and rock but the ground began to give way beneath her.

Jesse raced as best as she could to gain traction and get past the slippery slope she now faced. But the ground continued to rise before her and sink behind her. Her wounded leg caused her to increasingly limp and she lost speed. Finally she was swallowed by the earthen quagmire behind her and the slope collapsed in atop her.

Geo-Mancer rose out of the ground, "Heroes. They never learn."

* * *

Ri held a Bo Staff between her hands. She balanced it before her as Tigress made her approach. Tigress pulled the crossbow rifle from her back and fired a quarrel at Ri. Ri deflected it out of the air with the staff.

Tigress was surprised that Ri gave her time to reload. She wouldn't have been as generous. She fired off the second bolt and again Ri deftly knocked it off course. Tigress decided not to shoot at a shoulder or a leg this time and go for a center mass shot. Ri blocked it but the bolt splintered her Bo Staff in half.

Ri drew her Dragon Fast sword from its scabbard on her back. Tigress thought it apropos to set down her crossbow and pull her two hunting knives free. Tigress circled her prey while Ri held the center.

Ri didn't turn with Tigress' motion but she was well aware of the Injusticer's movements. Tigress made a complete circle and then went around a second time. When she was directly behind Ri, she lunged in for the attack.

Ri whirled on her and brought her sword across Tigress' cheek. Tigress barely had time to stop otherwise her head would have been sliced open. She smiled at Ri as Ri held the sword vertically in front of her.

"Nice moves," Tigress applauded her, "Let's see what else you've got."

Tigress swiftly discovered that Ri was adept at fighting twin blades. But both her mother and her father had taught her to be the very best. So she wasn't about to let the Chinese tart's single sword slow her down.

* * *

Shiv stared down Red Beetle and Mr. America. Red Beetle suddenly shivered and scornfully said, "Ohh, I'm sooo scared."

Shiv aimed her staff at Red Beetle and let a flame burst loose. Red Beetle danced aside but Shiv wasn't done yet. As Red Beetle drew closer, Shiv tossed the staff at Red Beetle. Red Beetle caught it and it suddenly transformed back into a golden anaconda.

"Yaaaah!" Red Beetle shrieked as the anaconda wrapped around her. The mechanical snake took Red Beetle's legs out from underneath her by knocking in her knees from behind. As Red Beetle toppled, she suddenly felt the constriction begin.

* * *

Mr. American snapped his whip at Shiv. She reached up her left arm to intercept the stinger. The stinger and the attached length of the whip wrapped around her armored forearm. Mr. America grinned as he thumbed the switch that electrified the whip.

Only…Shiv just stood there wearing a demented smile, "Seems _Courtney_ hasn't told you about me yet. I'm Shiv. I'm the Dragon King's daughter and a member of the Injustice Society."

"You do realize the Justice Society doesn't officially exist anymore?" Mr. America wondered.

Shiv suddenly looked the proverbial cat that had swallowed the canary, "Yes, but all of you that joined the modern JSA are still alive…except for Johnny Thunder. Johnny Sorrow put his sorry ass down and now I'm going to do the same for you."

"I'm almost afraid to ask but here goes: how?" Mr. America inquired.

"You have to have noticed my armor is insulated by now," Shiv spoke as if to a dullard, "It's got a few other tricks as well."

Mr. America debated on asking what they were when blades popped out of Shiv's arm and severed his whip. She wore that demented smile again, "See what I mean?"

Blades popped out of her entire body. Anyplace covered with armor was now laced with edged weapons. Mr. America could easily see how she got her name.

"Come give baby a hug, poppy," Shiv laughed

* * *

King Chimera had advised Cyclone to help the others while he dealt with Johnny Sorrow. Cyclone was confused, "But how?"

"Stargirl can keep him busy. Vibe might have an effect and Hawkman's Nth metal sword can probably inflict some damage, but only I have the ability to kill Sorrow."

"But how?" Cyclone inquired again.

"Trust me, Maxine. Like you've never trusted me before. When Johnny Sorrow showed me his face he made the deadliest mistake he ever could have," King Chimera assured her, "But for right now, this frosty person is coming to intercept us. I need you to keep him off of my back while I confront Sorrow with the thing he fears most."

King Chimera took hold of Cyclone's shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss, "A promise for later."

He jogged off and Cyclone turned to see Icicle coming upon her. He wore a nasty grin, "Young love. How precious."

"Just who are you?" Cyclone had to ask.

"I'm Icicle of the Injustice Society," he announced.

"Um…you do realize there isn't a Justice Society anymore?" Cyclone offered.

"Of course I know it!" Icicle snapped, "Why does there have to be a Justice Society in order to have an Injustice Society?"

Cyclone shrugged, "I guess it just makes sense that way."

"Well, I'm gonna make sense of your frostbitten corpse," Icicle vowed.

"Do we really have to do this?" Cyclone wondered.

"Excuse me?" Icicle couldn't believe his ears.

"The fighting, the me kicking your butt, and the you going to jail. The whole thing. Can't we just call it off for once?" Cyclone suggested.

"Are you for real?" Icicle had to ask.

"Very much so," Cyclone assured him.

"Well let me ask you something. What's with the Wicked Witch of the West outfit? What are you? Some kinda _Wizard of Oz_ and _Wicked _groupie? I bet you stood in line to see _Oz, the Great and Powerful_. You probably even dragged your boyfriend to it."

Cyclone's cheeks flushed, "He liked it!"

"Boyfriends always say they like it," Icicle taunted, "Catch a clue."

"I don't think I like you much," Cyclone decided.

"Good, `cause I'm gonna dance on your grave. Maybe I'll even leave behind an ice sculpture of a flying monkey," Icicle said scornfully.

"I take it back. We're fighting," Cyclone declared.

"Well, thank God for that," Icicle retorted disdainfully.

Icicle thrust his hand out and ice daggers flew towards Cyclone. A sudden whirlwind blew them aside. Icicle frowned. He projected a wave of cold at Cyclone. She expanded her tornado to swallow him up.

She hovered in the eye while Icicle rode the torrents of air. He unleashed a cold front within her storm. Eventually the twister dissipated and Cyclone sat huddled on her knees, crusted with ice and shivering.

Icicle came up to her, "It's not too late to beg me to simply kill you. Otherwise I'm making an Icy Pop out of you."

"G…go..t…to…he…hell," Cyclone said between chattering teeth.

Icicle shrugged, "Hey, I gave you your chance."

He froze her solid at that point.

* * *

Stargirl kept hammering at Johnny Sorrow's intangible form. Lighting threw in as well but her actual contribution to the sum total was difficult to determine. Vibe had mentioned to Hawkman that Johnny Sorrow was phase shifted between realities. He then tried to use his vibrational abilities to draw Johnny Sorrow further into Earth Prime's dimension. Hawkman had made a few passing swipes at Sorrow with his sword but other than enrage Johnny Sorrow it didn't seem to have much effect.

Much to Carter's surprise, the others were heeding his tactical direction, and it seemed to be working. But he needed a strategy and he needed one _before_ Johnny Sorrow could recover and regroup the remaining members of the Injustice Society. King Chimera's suggestion provided the impetus for a strategic move.

Hawkman gave Vibe and Lightning their instructions on the ground and then he flew to Stargirl's side to do the same for her. Stargirl voiced the obvious question, "Does King have any idea of what will happen?"

"He hasn't a clue," Hawkman admitted.

"Great," Stargirl grumped.

"Okay, hold your fire. The others will follow your lead," Hawkman directed.

Stargirl relented. Lightning and Vibe did so as well. King Chimera's powers went into play. Johnny Sorrow was confronted by an image of himself. That image then ripped its mask off and Sorrow's own face confronted him for the first time.

"Oh hell!" Vibe shouted.

Johnny Sorrow screamed and reality tore all around him. The JLers and the Injusticers felt turned inside out. Suddenly the terrain around them shifted into an unholy collection of chaos personified. Decidedly hostile creatures began to approach and the humans brought there began to worry.

"Sorrow! Where are we?" Icicle demanded to know.

Johnny Sorrow broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. No one dared move until King Chimera grabbed hold of Johnny Sorrow's lapels. It took him a moment to realize the obvious.

"You're solid!" King Chimera yelped, "Why?"

"Because, my foolish little tormentor, you shifted us all back to the Subtle Realms. Enjoy your moment because it was your last!" Johnny Sorrow simply vanished.

"Damn it," King Chimera muttered, "Not again."

The surrounding demonic creatures opted to attack at that moment.


	15. Chapter 15

11 Justice League Convergence

Ivy smirked at her captives and then she began to notice something. Her children's vines were beginning to brown. In fact, every willow branch that had wrapped itself around the Question and the Huntress had begun to wither. Their grip had loosened and the vigilantes were dropped.

Both the husband and the wife landed on their feet. Now it was the Huntress' turn to smirk, "Seems she's still trying to figure it out, Q."

"What have you done?" Ivy desperately demanded. The withering was driving its way up the vines into the branches. Leaves browned and died. The entire trunks were flaking off bark and cracking.

"It's quite simple actually," Question said in an academic's tone, "We knew you were personally involved in Bruce Wayne's kidnapping. So we took precautions."

"Damn you! You coated your clothes with herbicides!" Ivy knew the signs when she saw them.

"Yes," Question said flatly.

Ivy broke and ran for the manor house. Huntress pulled her crossbow from its holster. She locked the bow in place and used the draw flange to lock the string back and place a bolt in position. She took aim.

The Question waved her off, "Not yet."

"You'd better have a helluva reason, Q!" Huntress snapped.

"She'll disrupt the interior of the house," Question remained impassively calm, "That will assist our fellows in there."

Huntress lowered the crossbow, "You sure as hell better be right about this."

Question shrugged, "Even if I'm wrong, Nightwing and Catwoman can surely deal with Ivy's presence for a short time."

Huntress snorted, "I think I like it."

"Good, because I don't believe we should tarry here," Question advised and they began their final approach on the manor.

* * *

Barbara Gordon dove into the swimming pool. Clayface stopped at its edge, "You don't think a little water is going to stop me, do you?"

"It's a start," Barbara replied.

Clayface stretched out an arm and his hand became a pincher. Barbara started to swim away but Clayface grabbed her. Now having her feet on the base of the pool, she leveraged against Clayface's position and pulled him into the deep end.

Clayface thrashed about as he started to dissolve. Barbara climbed the steps and pulled herself out of the swimming pool. She could see the power cable attached to the pool house from the main house. She pulled it free and tossed into the pool water.

Clayface cried out in pain as he was electrocuted. Barbara had electrocuted Clayface before when she was Batgirl so she knew he would survive. She noted that every light in the manor went out. The Bat Cave was on its own power system and would remain untouched but the crooks inside of the house may be temporarily disoriented by the lights and power going out.

Barbara proceeded to the door Katana had used to affect an entrance. Barb ejected the magazine from her pistol and put it in her armpit while she racked her pistol's slide and ejected the chambered round. There was a good chance the powder in the cartridge could have gotten damp. So she slapped the magazine back into the gun and released the slide so it slid forward and chambered the second round.

Pulling her mini-mag light out she was pleased to see it was still working. Using her left to wrap under her gun hand, she used the light to halo her target. The light would blind a foe for a few seconds which would give Barbara the time to decide on whether or not to shoot.

She entered the house with caution. After all, she had no idea of what kind of reception to expect. The one friendly face she knew she was completely safe from was also locked in a cavern hundreds of feet below the manor.

* * *

Nightwing turned the skillet he held so the bowl was aimed at Mr. Freeze. The cryo blast from the cold blaster hit the surface and partially deflected away from the curved object. Mr. Freeze's armored cryo suit frosted over. Nightwing threw the frozen frying pan at Mr. Freeze and rolled over end to get to his feet. Once he was on his feet, he raced out of the kitchen.

Knowing that he had superior knowledge of Wayne Manor's interior layout, Nightwing opted to use that familiarity to his advantage. He twisted through a few more labyrinthine rooms with multiple entrances and hurtled directly into Katana's battle with the Red Hood.

* * *

Katana was pressing the Red Hood's defenses. He'd revealed that he had a collapsible Bo staff. It was made of some resilient alloy because it withstood multiple blows from the SoulTaker. However, Katana could see that the staff was ready to buckle.

She swept her stroke low to his left and drove it upward to take him at the throat. Red Hood employed a cross block but the SoulTaker cleft the staff in two. Katana's stroke relentlessly drove further and smashed into Red Hood's dome-like helmet. It fractured.

Katana further surprised Red Hood by continuing her stroke into a full body swing whereby Katana pressed her motion into a full spin. The sword's blade shattered half of the Red Hood's mask. Red Hood jumped back and immediately pulled the helmet off. With his identity fully revealed, Katana was stunned into immobility.

Nightwing burst onto the scene and Red Hood spun to face his new adversary. Nightwing was surprised, "Jason Todd?"

Red Hood wore a cruel smile, "The one and only. Can you say the same? It seems Batman replaced you while you were away. Maybe that's why you left Gotham for good."

Nightwing didn't bother to reply. Katana was literally shaking. Her rage was building. Nightwing had seen the signs tens of thousands of times before.

"Katana! No!" he shouted impotently.

Red Hood turned again only to find the SoulTaker's edge in his throat. He could feel blood trickle down to his collar.

Red Hood wore an impish smile, "Really? Because I don't think you seriously want to do this. I promised to hand you Takeo. I still can and will but I have to be alive to honor my promises."

"You know nothing of honor, Red Bird!" katana spat, "Killing you and having the SoulTaker claim your soul is far too good a fate for you but I'm willing to settle."

Katana drew back her sword for the masterstroke. Both Nightwing and Red Hood realized she was committed and both protested. But for entirely different reasons.

"I'll tell you why!" Red Hood desperately offered.

"Pardon?" Katana held position but she stayed ready to land the blow.

"Don't kill me and I'll tell you why I betrayed the Outsiders to Nyssa Raatko," Red Hood promised, "And I'll tell you who the other traitor was."

"Tell me and I'll consider sparing you," Katana counter offered.

"No deal. It's all or nothing," Red Hood threatened.

"Very well," Katana tensed and Nightwing jumped between them before she could cleave Red Hood's head from his shoulders.

"We don't do things this way!" Nightwing lectured, "This isn't the Justice League way!"

"This is Outsider business. That predates my involvement with the Justice League," Katana firmly asserted, "Now step aside or I shall deal with you as well."

Red Hood made to bolt. Katana slipped past Nightwing. She landed a side kick into Red Hood's chest, smashing him into a wall. She then planted the SoulTaker's tip in his throat again. She was poised to continue her thrust and pierce his neck.

"Talk!" Katana ordered.

"You always were fast on your feet, Katana," Red Hood chuckled.

"No flattery. Just the truth, Red Bird," Katana said with an eerie calm.

"Actually, it's 'Red Hood' now. You kind of smashed the hood part of it though," Red Hood shared.

"Thank you. Now I know what to put on your tomb if you refuse to answer my question," Katana said matter-of-factly.

"It's a two part answer," Red Hood relented. He was gambling on Katana's code of honor, "Speedy was recruited by the government to help steer our missions. He had me fooled for a long time but then I caught him getting his, and through him, our mission orders. I confronted him but he promised to leave CADMUS behind."

"Meanwhile, CADMUS was getting edgy about the Justice League and they manipulated us so that we undertook several more missions on their behalf," Red Hood shared, "I mean, what the hell were we doing in Bailya? We toppled the government at CADMUS' orders and the Crimson Queen seized control. The whole planet learned the massive mistake behind that."

"A convenient truth, if it is so," Katana retorted.

"Look, I was contacted by Nyssa Raatko," Red Hood could see Katana had no inkling of the forces being revealed, "Nyssa is Ra's al Ghul's _other_ daughter. At one time she was head of the League of Assassins. Nyssa contacted me after our last mission against Syonide and Merlyn. Syonide is freelance. Merlyn was one of hers."

Red Hood still couldn't read Katana beyond her cloud of rage, "Nyssa convinced me of her cause. A goal to appoint a single ruler over the Earth. A strong hand to bring it under control despite itself."

"What has that to do with the Outsiders?" Katana wanted to know.

"CADMUS was replaced by ARGUS and one of its missions is securing the United States' security. Speedy was to be employed to resume his previous role with even greater government oversight. Nyssa baited a trap and ARGUS sent the Outsiders into it," Red Hood related the history as he knew it, "Nyssa convinced me that all of you were complicit with ARGUS' takeover."

"Of course, you, Speedy, and Rex all survived," Red Hood shared, "You and Rex were left alone, if you don't count the DEO hunting you down and bribing you into joining the Justice League. John Stewart did the persuading to get Rex to join the JLU. Speedy joined ARGUS' Task Force X. Or maybe you've heard it called the Suicide Squad?"

"I met them," Katana said in a steely voice, "Speedy was with them."

"Well, they don't officially exist anymore. Not that they ever did but this time they really did dissolve the team. Now most of them are part of something called 'Checkmate'," Red Hood revealed, "Speedy took a new name. Calling himself Arsenal, he joined a band of mercenaries called 'Deathstroke's Titans'. I'm sure you remember Deathstroke?"

"Yes," Katana tersely allowed.

"Then I don't need to tell you what Roy Harper's shift of allegiance means," Red Hood wore a smarmy smile.

Katana pressed the sword into his throat again, "Why the betrayal of the Outsiders?"

"I just told…" Red Hood let out a little yelp as the SoulTaker's tip took a bite into him, "Nyssa began throwing support behind the man she propped up as CONTROL. You know about CONTROL, after all."

"Vandal Savage," Katana said his name aloud.

Nightwing started, "Vandal Savage? He's still alive?"

"He is immortal," Red Hood remarked dryly.

"Does Vandal Savage serve Nyssa Raatko?" Katana inquired sharply.

"Quite the opposite," Red Hood smirked, "You're doomed already, Katana. The entire Justice League will fall just like the Outsiders did. Join me and you can live and help create the New World Order."

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you," Katana insisted.

"Because you've become a hero and heroes don't kill helpless opponents," Red Hood mocked her.

Katana thought about and then she shrugged, "I'm not that kind of hero."

* * *

Mr. Freeze chose that moment to barge in. Katana swung the SoulTaker away from Red Hood's throat to ward of Freeze. Red Hood drove a fist at Katana. She deflected the blow with her elbow and then swung the sword in an arc aimed at Red Hood's neck.

Red Hood ducked under the swing and headed straight for the nearest exit. Katana reset her footing and prepared to pursue him when Nightwing took her knees out from underneath her. Mr. Freeze's cryo ray froze the wall where Katana had just been standing.

"Getting sloppy," Nightwing chided Katana.

"Go after Red Hood!" Katana demanded, "This lout is mine!"

Nightwing sprinted off while Katana rose with her sword in the guard position, "Face me if you dare."

Mr. Freeze snorted derisively and aimed his cold blaster at her. The beam was caught by her sword. Mr. Freeze ceased fire as he realized only the blade was being coated with ice. The SoulTaker then shattered the ice and Katana held it poised for a strike.

"As you Americans say, 'it's my turn'." Katana smiled coldly.

* * *

Barbara came into the parlor to find Bruce had Catwoman in a choke hold. Catwoman was struggling but she was also fading fast. The mysterious rabbit woman was smiling gleefully.

"Call him off," Barbara ordered.

White Rabbit's expression turned to one of appreciation, "Very astute, Lt. Gordon. But then again, if anyone should know Bruce Wayne it should be his ex-wife."

Barbara took aim at White Rabbit, "I won't warn you again. Call him off."

"Or you'll gun me down in cold blood?" White Rabbit lightly laughed, "Like you did those Legionnaires? Did you know GCPD Internal Affairs has a file on you now? Oh, your actions were deemed a 'justified shoot' but they're watching you now. Waiting to see _when_ you cross the line rather than _if_ you do."

"And how would you know that?" Barbara asked tersely.

White Rabbit shrugged, "It's my way."

Barbara fired a shot that whizzed by the White Rabbit's head. A clock on the wall shattered as the .40 caliber bullet struck it, "Call him off!"

White Rabbit wore a sinister smile, "Oh lover, kill Catwoman and then take down your ex."

For a second, Barbara actually feared Bruce would obey. But his face contorted in rage and he began to shake as every fiber of his being resisted the command. He released Catwoman and stepped back away from her. Selina clutched at her wounded throat and coughed as she gasped for air.

White Rabbit smirked, "It seems I underestimated you, Brucie. But all things being equal, neutralize your ex-wife and we'll be off."

Bruce rounded on Barbara and he swatted the pistol from her hands. He threw a few blows at her. Despite the despair in his eyes, she could tell he was holding back.

She blocked his first few blows but he'd always been better than her at hand to hand combat. A fact she cursed as his punch connected and split her lip open. He followed this up with a round kick to her ribs. He landed another punch to her jaw and her knees buckled under the force of the blow. Still, she knew he was restraining himself and she was grateful.

Ivy ran in at that point, "We need to evacuate!"

Red Hood entered from the other direction. He set position near the doorway and delivered a backspin kick to Nightwing's forehead as he also entered the parlor. Nightwing went down onto his back and was temporarily dazed.

Red Hood looked to White Rabbit, "Did someone mention leaving?"

"You seem a bit harried," White Rabbit mused.

"They brought Katana with them," Red Hood explained, "She's rather determined to lop off my head and put it on a pike."

"Or have her sword absorb you whole," White Rabbit quipped, "All right Brucie, get me out of here."

"What about the rest of us?" Red Hood growled.

"You and Ivy can take either Gordon's unmarked cruiser or another of Bruce's cars. Freeze can use the remaining option," White Rabbit offered an option. She turned to Bruce, "Now, pamper me."

* * *

Hating himself, Bruce led her out of the parlor and they headed for the garage. It turned out the White Rabbit had an affinity for British sports cars. She quickly rejected the various Jaguars but two Aston Martin's caught her eye. While the timeless DB5 model sat beside them her eyes made love to the DB9 and the Vantage S Roadster.

Upon questioning, she learned that the DB9 was faster because of its V12 engine but speed may not prove necessary. After all, they were supposed to be incognito. But that was the problem with the Roadster. It was a convertible and an open top would draw attention to her. So, sighing, she elected for the DB9. Once they occupied it, the car roared out of the garage complex and down the drive to the main gate and out into the road beyond.

* * *

Inside of the manor, Ivy and Red Hood were making their way outside when Mr. Freeze's head came skittering up to them. His domed head was supported by manipulator arms that operated his exo-suit. Of course, bereft of the suit, he looked like a bizarre spider.

"What are you staring at?" he angrily inquired.

"It seems you're half the man you used to be, Victor," Ivy chuckled.

"Would you care to join me in my affliction, Ivy?" Mr. Freeze snapped.

"Calm down," Ivy advised, "Can you operate an automobile?"

"Of course," Mr. Freeze huffed.

"Good," Ivy smiled, "Take Barbara Gordon's car while Jason and I steal one of Wayne's cars. We'll reunite at the rendezvous point. Of course, Gordon's cruiser is lo-jacked. So you'll have to switch cars before you join us."

"Of course," Freeze sniffed.

Ivy opted for Bruce's New Beetle convertible. She found it hard to believe he had anything so practical. Red Hood quickly found the keys and they hopped in. Since the car was stored within a roofed complex, the top was already down. Ivy was already half tempted to swap out the license plates and add a second car to her inventory. Rose Bud was far too well known for her current taste. But this little beauty would blend in…even after she had it repainted pink.

As the exited the garage and headed down the drive, they spotted Mr. Freeze ahead of them in Barbara Gordon's unmarked car. Instead of taking the right to Gotham, Freeze went left deeper into the countryside full of the wealthy and far too famous.

Ivy turned right and proceeded to the rally point. From there they could reach the rendezvous. After all, who really expected to find an underground lair if you weren't dealing with Killer Croc and Baby Doll? The White Rabbit's "hole" was well appointed and rather lavish. Ivy suspected it was just one of many such hideouts.

* * *

Katana was quite disturbed to discover that Red Hood had escaped from Nightwing. In her estimation it was clear that Nightwing had clearly underestimated Jason Todd and that arrogance had cost her her chance to avenge her fallen comrades. It wasn't a mistake she would be making again.

* * *

Barbara was on the phone reporting the stolen cars. Nightwing was in the garage where he had discovered the empty berths and looked up on the computerized inventory which cars had been taken and what their license plate and VIN numbers were. It was with some chagrin that Barbara reported that her own department issued vehicle was among the missing.

* * *

The Question took Katana aside, "Nightwing mentioned that you knew one of the assailants."

"His name is Jason Todd. When he was known as Red Bird, he founded and led the Outsiders," Katana informed him, "Now he calls himself 'Red Hood'."

"Interesting," Question said almost to himself, "Does Jason Todd have any history with the Joker perchance?"

"None that I'm aware of," Katana replied, "Why?"

"The original Red Hood was the man that became the Joker," Question answered her query, "Why assume another person's mantle unless there is some personal significance to it?"

Katana had to admit herself that he made a fine point, "It bears scrutiny."

"Indeed," Question concurred, "But first there is a matter of the stolen vehicles."

He turned to the recently returned Nightwing, "You're certain Bruce Wayne has no tracking paraphernalia equipped in his personal vehicles?"

Nightwing gave him a wry look, "Would you?"

"That's beside the point," Question retorted, "Bruce Wayne is a wealthy upstanding citizen. Threats like these are bound to arise."

"Look, Lt. Gordon is interviewing the butler. I'm sure she'll find out all you need to know," Nightwing replied.

Huntress escorted Catwoman back from a dispensary, "Have no fears. She'll live."

"It is very convenient that Bruce Wayne has a medical treatment room in his manor," Katana observed.

"Bruce Wayne's father was a prominent physician who inherited the family's industrial holdings and became a business manager," Question stated, "Fortunately for all, he excelled at being both."

Katana deferred to those facts but she knew there were unspoken truths lying about. The air was permeated with them. But she knew the value of secrets so she held her counsel and her questions.

Barbara returned, "Well, just like I remembered, Bruce doesn't lo-jack his cars."

"Then Bruce Wayne is lost to us for now," Katana surmised.

"Not necessarily," Question spoke up, "I could speak with Clayface."

"Good idea. I'll come with you," Barbara insisted.

"I prefer to work alone," Question said flatly.

Barbara didn't like the sound of that. But before she could protest, Question spoke to the Huntress; "Stop her from interfering."

Huntress smirked at Barbara, "Care to try your luck, Lieutenant?"

"She's not the only one with concerns," Nightwing began to tense up.

Katana slid the SoulTaker free of its scabbard, "Let the man work."

Barbara and Nightwing looked towards Catwoman. She shrugged and pulled her whip free, "Ah hell, I guess I'm with them. We need answers and we need them now."

Nightwing caught Barbara's gaze but she gave him the "stand down" signal from their days in the Bat Clan. Barbara had to grudgingly admit that for once Selina was right. They _didn't_ have time.


	16. Chapter 16

11 Justice League Convergence

Metamorpho finally surrendered to the moment and became xenon gas. He absorbed his dismembered parts and they also became gas. Resolidifying, he opted to become a lead-vanadium mixture.

Vanadium was a chemically resistant metal. But it was highly dense and possessed great tensile strength despite being malleable. It was always found in a compound in nature. It had originally been thought to a form of lead in its discovery in 1801. In 1815, vanadium was distinguished as a separate element. It could be extracted from its compound states. When it was made a purified metal, it would oxidize. It was a curiosity to some that vanadium was often found compounded with uranium.

Atomic Skull blasted Metamorpho with twin radiation bursts. Metamorpho merely smiled, "Got anything else, punk?"

Atomic Skull raced forward to throw a punch but Metamorpho clocked him one and Atomic Skull went sprawling. Metamorpho shook his head, "Amateur."

Atomic Skull got to his feet and came at Metamorpho again. This time he blocked the JLer's blow and landed one of his own. He dented Metamorpho's jaw but the impact wound just popped back out.

"Surprise!" Metamorpho catcalled. He then proceeded to attack Atomic Skull in earnest.

* * *

Galatea snapped her head back and threw her weight with it. Bizarro's clasped hands behind her neck kept her from inflicting damage but the motion began a tumble. This was amplified by Galatea's body beginning a back flip. She tipped Bizarro until his back was aimed at the ground. She then pushed "back" and propelled Bizarro towards the streets below. He was simply swept along.

Galatea could hear the tumult in the streets below. They accelerated past the falling inferno of the blazing blimp. Galatea desperately hoped that no one was below them as she braced for impact.

Bizarro seemed as clueless as he truly was. The maneuver caught him by complete surprise, including its jolting conclusion. His grip broke and Galatea burst free. She didn't bother with him at all. Instead she streaked for the burning wreckage descending upon Gotham's streets.

Now her fervent hope was that the dirigible's superstructure would hold up as she snatched the blimp up and headed out to sea. Galatea had almost reached the bay when she heard a disgruntled roar behind her. Sparing a glance over her shoulder, she saw what she expected. Bizarro was in pursuit.

Accelerating, she made it over the bay. She'd lost chunks of the dirigible in the process but the fire response teams could deal with those. She released the police blimp and snapped around in a perfectly timed move.

Her fist smashed Bizarro's nose and he came grinding to halt. She delivered a backspin kick to his temple and Bizarro plummeted into the bay. Galatea stayed on station because she knew this was merely the beginning.

The water erupted as Bizarro burst out of it. Emerging from the plume, Bizarro set his course straight for Galatea. That's just what she'd intended.

She went vertical. Bizarro traced her climb and their ascent penetrated the various atmospheric layers. Galatea pierced the atmosphere altogether and then began to slow.

Bizarro didn't seem to know enough to hold his breath. Galatea smirked. This was a welcome development. Bizarro began to head back into the thicker atmosphere.

Galatea caught him from behind and pulled him back into hard vacuum. Bizarro struggled as she gripped his waist. She shifted her hold to his diaphragm. She squeezed for all she was worth. The Heimlich maneuver pushed what air remained in Bizarro's lungs out into the void.

Bizarro struggles lessened and soon ceased. Galatea dipped back into the planetary atmosphere and began a descent while dragging Bizarro along. She made a rapid approach to the Gulag and startled many of the workers.

The fireball streaking towards them had resulted in a full scale alert. The guards were quite happy to see Galatea instead of a foe. She frog marched Bizarro into a cell and the warden incarcerated him.

Galatea thanked her and then headed back towards Gotham.

* * *

Half-Ape and the Weed were still savoring their victory as the half-human/half-simian mutates pounded away at the spot where Plastic Man had last been seen. They were so engrossed in the savagery unleashed upon their arch-foe that they didn't notice a red and flesh colored stream oozing towards them. It suddenly reached up as a globular mass and took hold of them.

Plastic Man's head appeared amongst the many tentacles, "Hi guys! Miss me?"

"Half-Ape beware! The cretin is still covered by my spores," Weed warned.

"But that means…" Half-Ape's voice trailed off as the shrieks of his mutates rose and they lunged upon them. Plas rubbed as much of the pollen off on the dastardly duo as possible.

He withdrew as a traveling carpet once again and left Half-Ape and the Weed to the mercies of their own creation. Half-Ape was bludgeoned into unconsciousness. The Weed was torn apart but Plas knew that a single sprout could restore his old foe once again.

Plastic Man knocked the nozzle cap off of a hydrant and washed the pollen off of him. Now the mutates wouldn't be driven into a murderous frenzy when he was around. He transformed into a cage over the mutated people and their victims. He hoped someone would be along to relieve him soon.

* * *

El Diablo cautiously approached Batwoman's fallen form. A pool of blood was forming where her left shoulder lay. Black Spider had obviously gone for the heart but some indefinable sense of danger had prompted Batwoman into moving in time to avoid a kill shot. Still, if she just kept lying there she would eventually bleed out.

El Diablo circled Batwoman until he heard Black Spider's voice in his ear piece, "Damn it, Chato! Move out of the way!"

Batwoman reared up and kicked El Diablo in the face. She then rolled behind a column while Black Spider fired off another shot. El Diablo came at her and she ducked under his left jab. Throwing a fist into his groin, she then rose up and smashed a knee into his jaw.

El Diablo was thrown back and he stumbled about as he tried to regain his senses. Shots rang out as Black Spider fired at any portion of Batwoman's body that rested beyond the protection of the column. Batwoman examined her position.

The bank had four columns with a double door centered between the two innermost columns. Batwoman pulled a bomb from her belt and threw it at the window front that sat opposite of her. It shattered when the micro bomb detonated. She then dove into the hole even as Black Spider fired at as she moved.

She sprinted to the tellers' counter and vaulted over it. Bullets struck the counter as she ducked behind it. Crawling, she made her way to an office cubicle and took up position behind the desk. She pulled her emergency medical kit out of her utility belt and went to work. There would only be a few moments before El Diablo dared venture into the bank. The gunman would probably be repositioning as well.

In her heart, Batwoman promised Margo that she _would_ be coming home tonight. Now, she just had to be her usually brilliant self and make that a reality. Unfortunately, she felt less than inspired today.

* * *

Batwing awoke only to wish he were dead. And then he numbly became aware of the fact that wish was about to fulfilled. He decided that he changed his mind.

He took a back-up baton and thrust it between King Shark's jaws. King Shark bellowed out of pain and rage. He threw Batwing back and the JLer landed and rolled onto his feet. King Shark managed to wrench the baton free. Blood spurted from his wounded mouth.

"You are so going to pay for that," King Shark promised.

"First you will have to catch me," Batwing leapt into the air and his flight pack engaged and carried him out of the downtown region. He headed for the George Washington Bridge connecting Gotham City with Manhattan.

King Shark knew the bridge stood over water. The idiot was leading him back to his own element. King Shark decided it was just as well. Feeding was easier underwater.

* * *

"Aw, man. What the hell?" Cyborg moaned.

He saw fragment wounds in his organic body parts and severe damage to most of his cybernetic systems. He gazed around and saw the various pieces of Shrapnel's body drawing back to where he had last stood whole. The Legionnaire's feet and ankles were already reconstructed but many other fragments were waiting to take their place in the process.

Cyborg was able to run a diagnostic and get his repair systems up and running. He opted to help out as best he could. Instructions began scrolling through his eye's HUD. He began repairs while his auto-doc dealt with his flesh wounds. From what he could tell, he was damn lucky to still be alive. Now he just had to stay that way.

* * *

Schott's Toys was a burning pyre. Captain Atom and Major Force had expended enough energy to devastate the building. Captain Atom was worried about the residual radiation but that maniac Major Force was grinning like a madman.

"Get on your feet, soldier!" Major Force demanded, "You will salute when being addressed by a superior officer."

"You aren't even in the Air Force anymore," Captain Atom grated.

"Like you are?' Major Force jibed.

"I'm considered TDY with the JLU-UN peacekeeping mission," Captain Atom wondered why the hell they were having this conversation.

"Cocks and balls!" Major Force retorted, "You're a very minor pawn in a very large chessboard. Think of it as 3D chess with four levels. You're in an isolated corner of an abandoned board."

"And why do you care?" Captain Atom snidely inquired.

"We're the only two of our kind," Major Force replied, "We should be natural allies."

"Like that's going to happen," Captain Atom retorted.

Major Force was on his faster than Captain Atom could have imagined. Major Force gripped him by the next and suddenly Captain Atom began to feel weaker. The bastard was absorbing his radiation matrix!

"Like I said, I'm your superior in every way," Major Force chuckled nastily.

* * *

Killer Frost studied Fire for a moment. Beatriz da Costa shared many attributes with her. Beatriz had been an analyst with Brazil's leading intelligence agency. She'd been sent into the field to survey a meteorite strike. The meteor had created a reaction from the planet and an emerald flame was blazing around the meteorite.

Beatriz learned upon her arrival that the flame was generated by any residual or elemental property of the extraterrestrial object. A bright flash knocked everyone but Beatriz to the ground. Instead, she was enveloped in the flames. They spoke to her and she learned that this was the Green Flame. It was the elemental force that had empowered the first Green Lantern of Earth and now it had chosen her to be another champion.

Bea discovered she could transform into a plasma form composed of the green flame. But instead of creating constructs like Sentinel's ring, Beatriz actually projected flames. So she took the name Fire.

Louise Lincoln had been a working partner to Dr. Crystal Frost. When Frost became the first Killer Frost, Louise had been enamored with her. When Crystal died, Louise vowed vengeance upon the world for it.

Recreating the accident that produced Killer Frost, Louise became her idol incarnated. She went from being a shy, retiring bookworm to a lethal force of nature. Unlike Crystal, who was vulnerable to extremes of hot and cold, Louise adjusted the results so that she absorbed heat in order to produce cold. Despite her name and affectations, prolonged exposure to cold dwindled Killer Frost's powers to near uselessness.

So when Fire unleashed twin blasts of flame at Killer Frost, Killer Frost merely laughed. She waited until Fire had expended her powers. And then she wore a triumphant smile.

"Thanks Doll Face, you just gave me the ability to do this," Killer Frost raised her arms into the air. As she swept them she drew all of the heat from the room. A wave of ice and frost formed from the ambient moisture found in the enclosed space. Fire found herself overwhelmed and she passed out.

Killer Frost knelt next to Fire. It had been a while since she'd drawn all of the heat from a human body but now seemed as good a time as any. Besides, Fire was a looker. She'd look good as a trophy in Killer Frost's walk-in freezer.

* * *

Ice came to in time to freeze Blackrock. His body disappeared from the ice shroud and she rose to look around for him. Suddenly a piercing wail filled the air.

Ice felt sick all over but she managed to stay on her feet. Silver Banshee let up long enough for Ice to catch her breath, "Impressive. Not many can withstand my cry."

"I'm not just anyone," Ice said fiercely.

"Indeed," Silver Banshee screamed again and Ice reeled. Finally, she froze Siler Banshee.

Silver Banshee broke free of the ice, "You aren't human."

Ice was suddenly very embarrassed by that fact, "Not even remotely."

"Then what are you?" Silver Banshee demanded to know.

"I'm an ice goddess," Ice replied simply.

Silver Banshee snorted, "I haven't killed a god in over a hundred years. Thank you for the opportunity to do so again."

"You _are_ forgetting that I might kill you instead," Ice pointed out.

"Hardly," Silver Banshee derisively laughed.

"I guess we'll see then," Ice declared.

"So the pup has fangs," Silver Banshee observed, "Very well. Let it begin."

* * *

Blackrock materialized near the spot where Silver Banshee had killed OMAC. To his surprise, OMAC's cybernetic shell teleported away, leaving behind Kevin Kho's corpse. Blackrock's power stone let him trace the transmission to its source. It was a cave on the coast of New Hampshire and the computer system labeled itself "Brother Eye". The connection terminated and Blackrock was left wondering what he'd stumbled onto.

* * *

Dr. Light blasted Dr. Polaris in the chest with a photon burst. He flew across the way into a lamp post. As he groggily got to his feet so did she. They stared down one another for a moment.

"You should have stayed down until we'd gone, Dr. Hoshi," Dr. Polaris declared.

"It is my sacred duty to stop you, Dr. Polaris," Dr. Light declared, "And so I shall."

Dr. Polaris swept his arms back and with his hands drawn as though grasping something, he threw his arms forward. Every metal object within a half block radius surged forward towards Dr. Light. Dr. Polaris waited to see what she'd do.

Dr. Light stood her ground. She assessed the sheer tonnage of the objects being thrown at her. Reaching deep within herself she responded, and the neighborhood was shattered as a result.

* * *

John projected a force bubble that expanded so rapidly it threw Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, and Heat Wave off of their feet. John picked himself up and saw Shayera standing frozen by Captain Cold. Anger roiled through John's heart.

He'd stood by several times while she was injured. One of those encounters had involved her being shot by KGBeast and she'd nearly died. Another had cost them the life of their unborn child. He sure as hell wouldn't stand by now and do nothing.

Snatching up Heat Wave in a pair of pinchers, he flew to her location. Force pylons pushed Captain Cold, Golden Glider, and the Top out into the cross street. There, the GCPD dealt with them.

John encapsulated Shayera in a force bubble while Heat Wave pontificated, "I'm gonna fry you and your Colonel Sanders fryer girlfriend."

"Do your worst," John replied smugly.

So Heat Wave did.

* * *

By the time Heat Wave figured out that he was thawing out Shayera, he knew it was too late. John smacked him with a desk and Heat Wave went down. John finished what Heat Wave had started.

Shayera was shivering but fully conscious, "L...l...lend…a…a…h…h…hand, L…l…ant…tern."

John walked over to where Heat Wave was cradling his face, "Let me look at that."

Heat Wave moved his hands and John punched him in the nose. Heat Wave went down, whimpering. John retrieved Heat Wave's thermal blaster and handed it to Shayera. She examined it, adjusted the setting, and then began running its heat beam over herself.

Captain Cold and his team had rejoined them by now as had Weather Wizard and Mirror Master. Shayera suddenly grinned, "Ready for this, Lantern?"

"As ever," John shared the grin.

"Let's do it!" Shayera shouted as she launched herself into the air. John followed her lead. And the battle between the Rogues and the Justice League resumed.

* * *

Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash, stood near the base of the avalanche he'd created. There were no signs of life, especially not from the Flash. Zoom felt elated. His dream was finally realized. _He_ was the only Flash left standing.

As he streaked down the mountainside, he was nearly run over Rival as he ran by. Next came the insufferable _original_ Flash, Jay Garrick. Professor Zoom scowled. It seemed his work wasn't done yet. First he'd help Rival kill Jay and then Zoom would kill Rival himself. Next would come that retarded Kid Flash and then Zoom's own protégé, Inertia. The last would be in repayment for the twerp abandoning his "Kid Zoom" alias.

Resolved, Professor Zoom took off and traced Rival's trailblazing steps.

* * *

Atop a mountaintop, the stark austerity of the scenery had been broken by the recent avalanche. Trees had fallen as the wave of snow cascaded over them. It seemed as though nothing had survived. But in a reclusive spot, the snow began to shake. It collapsed into a seeming cave found underneath. From the opening, a red clad hand reached up to take a hold.

* * *

The Creeper bounded to the side as Inertia sped by. The fledgling speedster turned but instead of it being a sharp turn, it was rounded and he smashed into display cases. He corrected and headed for the Creeper once again. Cassandra opened her mouth but shut it when she saw the futility in warning Inertia.

The Creeper vaulted over the top of Inertia using the youth's own head as his leverage point. This doubly served to push Inertia's head down so he didn't see the reinforced fire door ahead of him. Inertia looked up in time to cry out in impotent rage. He ran headlong into the door and stayed upright for several seconds before toppling over.

"Your turn, Duela," Cassandra ordered, "I'll revive the Legionnaires and set them back onto the task Nyssa asked of them."

"Any advice, oh Sage One?" Card Queen inquired.

"He consistently veers left. So adjust your shots accordingly," Cassandra replied.

"Gotcha!" Card Queen grinned. Cassandra Cain was never wrong about these things.

Card Queen closed the distance between her and the Creeper, "Hey Handsome! Wanna tango?"

The Creeper was suddenly upon her in a dance step and he was dipping her back, "Has anyone told you you're beautiful when you wear a demented smile?"

Card Queen flashed him a wry expression as he returned her to her feet, "Actually, no."

"Too bad. The poor cads are missing out," Creeper opined.

Card Queen was _almost_ regretting the fact she had to kill him. He was rather pleasant in his way. Of course, the fact that he was ready to worship at her feet added to the charm.

"Just who are you?" Card Queen asked.

"The Creeper!" he said in a dramatic reveal, "Does that fact strike terror into your heart?"

"Not even remotely," Card Queen laughed.

"What about romance?" the would-be Lothario inquired.

"Nope," she said firmly.

The Creeper sighed, "I suppose you're going to try and kill me then?"

"That's the general idea," Card Queen bubbled.

"Ah, so much like my beloved Harley," Creeper said wistfully.

"Waitaminute! You _knew_ Harley Quinn?" Card Queen couldn't quite believe it.

"Lustfully so," Creeper boasted, "But that sly fox, the Joker, kept her away from me."

"Now you'll be telling me you knew the Joker," Card Queen guessed.

"Hey, he made me the man I am today," Creeper admitted, "Without him; there'd be no bouncy ball of sexiness standing before you."

"Small world," Card Queen commented.

"Do tell, my Lovely Lunatic," Creeper urged.

"Two Face is my father but I always worshiped at the Joker's feet. I eventually tried out calling myself "Joker's Daughter" but the Joker disapproved. So I tried being the Harlequin but Harley objected. So I became the Card Queen in order to prove myself to the Joker and Harley. Only now they're both missing. So I've decided to take their place," Card Queen divulged, "I'm thinking of starting a gang called the 'Jokerz'. We'd all follow in the Joker's footsteps."

"Rapturous!" Creeper almost swooned.

"_Ahem_!" Cassandra cleared her throat, "Less talk and more killing."

Card Queen faced the Creeper again and shrugged, "Sorry but it's gotta be done."

"Frankly, I was thinking the same thing!" Creeper lunged at her and swept her up in his arms. He passionately kissed her and she found herself enjoying the moment. When he finished he looked deep into her eyes, "Sorry."

"For wha…" Card Queen passed out mid-sentence as he expertly applied a nerve pinch.

The Creeper noticed the Legionnaires were roused once again as he laid Card Queen down and the seeming boss lady of this little operation was staring him down. He grinned, "Now, you're barely old enough to drive. How'd you get to be in charge?"

"I was born to it," Cassandra said tightly.

"Do tell!" Creeper hopped in place.

"How about I show you why," Cassandra offered and then she leapt into action.


	17. Chapter 17

10 Justice League Convergence

The building Superman had knocked Supreme into just happened to be LexCorp's ancillary base of operations. Most of the actual international administration took place at LexCorp Tower. But LexCorp Metro handled services particular to Metropolis. But now the building was being torn apart and collapsing down to its foundation.

Hundreds of LexCorp employees had managed to evacuate before the building collapsed. Hundreds more had not. A large slab of rubble flipped over and Superman emerged unscathed. He gazed around, the sights and sounds of the injured and dying filling his vision and hearing. But then he heard Diana's scream and he abandoned those he had harmed to their fate.

* * *

Stompa and Mad Harriet had joined Lashina in watching Diana suffer. They all wore rapturous expressions over her cries of torment. Superman blazed in and struck Lashina first. She flew off of her feet.

Superman witnessed Diana curl into a ball and clutch at her groin. Murderous rage filled him. Stompa made the mistake of engaging him first. His first punch broke her nose. His second broke several ribs and the third broke her jaw.

Mad Harriet leapt at him but he caught her right forearm and snapped it. Mad Harriet punched him with her left hand. Her energy claw bit deep but Superman remained unfazed. His uppercut hurled her far away.

Lashina was on her feet now, "Oh lover, I like this side of you. I should have fried the Princess' vagina ages ago. You do realize I've ruined her for you? Now that she's had a taste of me, she'll want no one else."

Superman rushed Lashina. She didn't have time to snap her whip before he clocked her with a right cross. She spun around and tried to recover. Superman gripped her throat from behind her and began to squeeze.

She ground her butt into his pelvis and gasped, "Yes, yes, yes! Tighter!"

Superman was sickened. Was there no end to her twisted fetishes? A strong hand took hold of his shoulder and spun him around. Supreme's fist smashed into his face and he was blinded by his own tears.

"No one chokes Lashina but me," Supreme growled possessively.

Jealous rage fueling his actions, Supreme decided not to hold back. He would end this threat to his happiness once and for all. After today, there would be no Superman.

* * *

Steel was close to panic. Wunda held his primary systems in thrall to her will. Artemiz was toying with him as she laboriously nocked an arrow and drew the string back. Speed Queen was already circling him.

Wunda held the primaries, but what about the secondaries? Since his helmet was custom fitted, he couldn't depress anything with his nose, but his tongue could reach a variety of depression switches. He flicked it out and disengaged the primary systems and reverted to the secondary array of options.

He then triggered his boot thrusters and lifted off. Artemiz fired off an arrow that embedded in his chest. Steel was relieved to discover that she didn't have the pound leverage to pierce his armor.

In his audio pickups, he could hear Wunda's rage. He ran a purge cycle of his onboard systems and Wunda screamed out of frustration as she was evacuated. She reformed on the street below. Speed Queen was blasting away at him and Artemiz volleyed a second shot that also embedded in his armor.

Steel suddenly banked and flew off into the horizon. Wunda laughed and Speed Queen came to a halt. She watched Steel's exit in disbelief.

"He's pulling a runner?" she inquired.

"I doubt it," Artemiz declared, "He doesn't seem the type. According to the Legion's file on him, he has a base here in this city. I suspect he's retreated to gear up against us."

"And how do we test this theory of yours?" Wunda mused.

Artemiz snapped her fingers and the cyberpak took off on Steel's trail, "Satisfied?"

"So what now?" Speed Queen inquired.

"I'm betting we can keep ourselves amused in the interim," Artemiz suggested.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Speed Queen burst out and raced off.

"You really shouldn't get the poor dear worked up," Wunda chided Artemiz.

"Too bad, so sad," Artemiz chuckled.

* * *

Kara kicked out with her legs and hurled Chessure away. Malice shrieked. Kara wanted to slap her.

Gilotina came at Supergirl again. Kara leapt into the air and retreated. Gilotina relished her victory.

"Quickly Malice! Set Chessure to tracking her!" Gilotina commanded.

"Chessy! Find!" Malice called out. The shadow demon began bounding off in pursuit of Supergirl. Gilotina and Malice followed on foot.

* * *

Kyle desperately resisted but Spencer's rib splitter was taking an ever deeper bite into his personal field. It was probing his flesh now. Kyle suddenly had an insight as he recalled wielding all eight emotional spectrums.

He glanced down at his ring and discovered it had become white. The Entity had responded to his plight and allowed him to become a White Lantern once again. Kyle blasted Spencer aside. His uniform transformed into the mythical garb of a White Lantern.

"This is what being a White Lantern is all about," Kyle declared.

"Green, White, you're still just a Lantern," Spencer scoffed.

Kyle created a force bubble around Spencer and then irradiated him in the White light. Spencer's defenses collapsed in seconds and he cried out. Passing out, he slumped to the floor.

Kyle didn't have time to congratulate himself because a severely wounded Kara flew to him and collapsed in his arms. Drawing on the Light of Life, he healed her. Her eyes met his and hers were filled with wonder.

"Wow!" she breathed, "That was simply indescribable."

He grinned, "Always happy to assist."

Chessure emerged out of the tunnel. Malice and Gilotina followed him. Kara frowned.

"Friends of yours?" Kyle dryly inquired.

"Of the worst kind," Kara said sourly.

"I take the lady with pig stickers is the one that ran you through," Kyle guessed.

"The one and only," Kara confirmed for him.

"So you want a second shot at her or the shadow demon?" Kyle wondered.

"Well, I think a demon is more up a White Lantern's alley," Kara teased.

"Wimp," Kyle retorted.

"Say that after you've gone a few rounds with it," Kara jibed.

"Are you two done yet?" Gilotina asked, "Because it's getting revolting."

"Ready?" Supergirl asked Kyle.

"More than ever," he promised.

And then they flew into action.

* * *

White light burst forth from the pile of rubble that the Silver Sorceress was buried under. It surged off of her and she rose, a little torn up, bruised, and battered but she was largely unharmed. She regarded Psi with a cold smile.

"Care to try your luck again?" Silver Sorceress taunted.

Psi stretched out her hands and psychokinetic energies flowed from her. Silver Sorceress aped her mannerisms and white light streamed forth from her hands. The two energies, one seen and one hidden, collided in the dead space between the two women. This contest of will and strength continued unabated for several minutes.

Finally, Psi began to show signs of strain. Sweat began to stream down her hairline across her face. Her face contorted in pain as the strain grew to be too much. Her psychokinetic field failed and the white light struck her full force.

Silver Sorceress blasted Psi into a wall over thirty feet behind Psi. Between the impact and the energy coursing over her, she passed out almost instantly. Silver Sorceress ceased her effort and let Psi collapse in a heap on the sidewalk.

Silver Sorceress turned to the bloated Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary whimpered, "No more! I beg you."

"Pathetic," Silver Sorceress spat.

The former Champion of the planet Angor stretched out with her ethereal senses. As always, she centered on Blue Jay. Her fellow survivor from the radioactive cinder Angor had reduced itself to, she'd come to Earth Prime with Blue Jay and Wandjina to save this world's humanity from the horrors they'd endured. Wandjina had fallen in the pursuit of that quest.

She and Blue Jay had begun to rebuild their lives. Max Lord had been instrumental in convincing them of saving Earth Prime, just through alternative means. She and Blue Jay had been activated and now they were awaiting word from Max as what to do next. For now they were to assist the JLU has though nothing had changed. But in reality, _everything_ had changed.

Silver Sorceress found Blue Jay in her mind and she immediately recognized his peril. Silver Sorceress teleported herself to his side. Kestrel was in for a helluva surprise.

* * *

Kestrel was about to plunge her sword into Blue Jay when the Silver Sorceress abruptly appeared. Silver Sorceress waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and Kestrel was swatted aside. Silver Sorceress and then placed her hands on Blue Jay's curled up form. She bathed him in the white light and he finally stretched out and looked around.

"Laura?" he was quizzical. When had she arrived? He absolutely had no recollection.

"It's all right, Jay. I'm here now," Silver Sorceress assured him.

"Isn't this sweet?' Kestrel sneered. She stood poised with her sword held in a guard position.

Silver Sorceress unleashed a bolt of white energy at Kestrel. Kestrel blocked it with her sword. It cleaved the energy in half and it streamed to either side of the Thanagarian.

Kestrel noted Silver Sorceress' surprise and smiled coldly, "My sword disrupts magic, bitch."

Silver Sorceress frowned. The White Light that she manipulated was the embodiment of life itself. It wasn't strictly magic but an emotional spectrum. Silver Sorceress channeled magic through the light but she'd always assumed it remained largely unchanged. Now she knew better.

"Let me…" Blue Jay started to rise from the crumpled car.

"I've got this," Silver Sorceress insisted.

"Do tell," Kestrel sarcastically remarked, "And what are you going to do? Throw a snow cone at me?"

"Try this on for size!" Silver Sorceress threw everything she had at Kestrel. Kestrel held her Nth metal sword before her like a lightning rod. To Silver Sorceress' amazement, the sword warded off her enchantments.

"Nice try," Kestrel smirked, "Now let's see what _I_ can do."

Kestrel's wings pushed her off before either the Silver Sorceress or Blue Jay could react. She thrust her sword into Silver Sorceress' abdomen while Blue Jay cried out in impotent rage. Kestrel's self satisfied smile grew.

"Music to my ears," she gloated.

* * *

Crimson Fox ran down an alleyway. Leaping, she made it atop a dumpster. She then leapt to a fire escape. She climbed onto the bottom landing and waited.

Cheetah sprinted into the alley. Seeing and hearing Crimson Fox, she also leapt onto the dumpster. She went for the fire escape landing but met with Crimson Fox's foot in her jaw. She fell into the dumpster.

Cheetah scrambled out of the dumpster and moved under the landing. Making a vertical leap into the air she grabbed hold of the drop ladder. She began to climb.

Crimson Fox stomped on Cheetah's face. Cheetah yowled and swiped at Crimson Fox's leg with her claws. Crimson Fox repeated the move and this time Cheetah connected with her claws. The smell of blood excited her.

Crimson Fox began heading up the fire escape. She reached the top and made a leap to take hold of the roof's edge. She got over the retaining wall of the roof sand headed for the roof access. She hammered at the door but it didn't open.

"I think you might as well give up and make it easy on yourself," Cheetah advised.

"Never!" Crimson Fox defiantly declared.

Cheetah shrugged, "Okay, it's only your literal funeral."

Then Cheetah lunged.

* * *

Catman's bullet tore through Animal Man's arm. It spun him around and dropped him on the ground. Hearing Catman chamber a second round, Animal Man manifested a rabbit's traits and raced away like a jackrabbit. A bullet whizzed by him as he bounded into a nearby office complex.

Catman went to the entrance and spotted the blood trail. Keeping the rifle ready, he followed the trail. He expected Animal Man to manifest a jungle cat's traits and try to maul him. He was therefore in for a surprise when he entered an accountant's office and Animal Man swung down on him.

Animal Man had chosen an orangutan as his template. He quickly disarmed Catman and punched the Legionnaire so hard it threw him over the desk. Catman came up bearing two knives.

Animal Man smiled as he switched his manifestation to that of the expected Bengal tiger. Now he began to prowl about as he took in Catman's bearing. He smelled fear and that excited him.

* * *

Booster used his wrist access to redirect his suit's systems. He rechanneled his primary sensors to his fingertip sensors. He then looked away from Count Vertigo. That lessened his dizziness so that he could function again.

He pointed his hand until his display on his goggles showed the thermal reading of Count Vertigo. He fired his proton blaster. The first burst almost leveled Count Vertigo but the second achieved that goal.

And then, using his sensor readings as his guide, Booster almost blindly groped until he plucked Vertigo's optic spinner off of the Legionnaire's head. Booster repeatedly blasted it until it was scrap. He then took a moment to recuperate before heading back into action.

* * *

Sir Justin's fist smashed into Bronze Tiger's cheek. Bronze Tiger spun away and threw a backhand to prevent Sir Justin from pursuing him. The tactic worked and he got a breather from the Shining Knight's relentless attack.

Bronze Tiger assessed Sir Justin's condition. The knight had an eye that was halfway swollen shut. He had a cut above the opposite eye and his face was a mass of swelling, bruises, and cuts. While Sir Justin's chainmail helped protect his body, Bronze Tiger's tiger face mask did the same for his face.

While Sir Justin had learned a great deal from Richard Dragon, he hadn't nearly as much as that accursed Question. Bronze Tiger was still more skilled and better trained. The surprise at facing Richard Dragon's fighting style had given the Shining Knight a temporary advantage but that advantage was now gone.

Sir Justin closed the distance and Bronze Tiger met his charge with a kick to the Shining Knight's head. Sir Justin reeled and backpedalled but Bronze Tiger pursued him. Several blows to Sir Justin's body were lessened by the chainmail but they still had the effect of driving the air from the Shining Knight's body.

Elbow strikes to the face almost flattened Sir Justin. A backspin kick knocked Sir Justin over, but despite stumbling, he stayed on his feet. Bronze Tiger switched from karate to gung fu and hammered at Sir Justin. The Shining Knight's defenses were crumbling as Bronze Tiger opted to begin employing the wushu disciplines.

A modern martial arts system, wushu employed bare handed attacks and selected weaponry. Bronze Tiger didn't have a weapon but as Sir Justin stood nearly insensate, Bronze Tiger hefted the knight's discarded broadsword. Bronze Tiger tested its weight and thought it would make an excellent alternative to the light wushu broadsword. It was too heavy of course but so much the better to cleave body parts off of a body.

* * *

Vigilante scissor kicked Deadshot's legs out from underneath him just as Deadshot rattled off a couple of shots. Vigilante rolled over, pushed off of the pavement, and sprinted for his pistols. He scooped them up as he ran by and continued down the street.

Deadshot got onto one knee and opened fire with his submachine gun. He was having trouble getting ahead of Vigilante so he shattered a lot of windows behind the fleeing cowboy. Vigilante dove behind a car so Deadshot ceased fire. Then a blue streak dove through an open space that used to hold a window.

Deadshot rose and discarded his spent magazine. He rammed another one home and drew the bolt on his weapon. Holding it near his hip, he cautiously approached where Vigilante had disappeared.

He reached the spot and couldn't spot the cowboy. He slowly stepped into the opening. It seemed to be a storefront. Fine. He could search the building one floor at a time. He still had time.

* * *

Bane threw a punch at Apache Chief and his fist passed through the Native American hero and smacked into the pavement below. Apache Chief then sank into the street and completely faded out of sight. Bane rose to his feet with a sense of disgust.

"Coward," Bane spat.

"Wisdom is not cowardice," Apache Chief said from behind him.

Bane threw a backhand that Apache Chief ducked under. His responding uppercut nearly leveled Bane. A torrent of punches followed. Bane backpedalled and triggered a Venom boost.

His muscles swelled and Bane happily chuckled; "Now we'll see who is the greatest."

"So we shall," Apache Chief stoically replied.

* * *

Black Vulcan swept Livewire's legs out from underneath her. She went down with a yelp. She rubbed her backside as she stood up.

"You're gonna pay for that punk," she promised.

"And what are you going to use on me? Electricity?" Black Vulcan mocked her.

"I…uh…ow!" Livewire exclaimed as Black Vulcan punched her.

Livewire was close to panic. She was a former shock jock. Her only fights had been with words as a weapon. Since gaining her powers, she'd utterly relied upon them.

"Hey! You can't do that! I'm…argh!" Livewire was interrupted by another punch.

She was sniffling as she backed away. Sensing active power lines above her, she hopped a ride on them and got as far away as possible. Black Vulcan took a moment to recharge before setting out to assist any fellow JLers.

* * *

Black Vulcan unloaded an electrical burst on Black Mass. The large man was out cold as Black Vulcan checked on Samurai. Since his Japanese friend was unresponsive, he grew worried.

As he monitored Samurai's vitals, Black Vulcan realized that Samurai's heart had stopped. He put a finger to where Samurai's heart lay within his body and unloaded a mini jolt. Samurai gasped and began breathing again.

Samurai tried to rise but he was obviously disoriented. Black Vulcan settled him down, "Easy, easy, you tried to die on me, you bastard. But I zapped your worthless carcass back to life."

"My thanks," Samurai said humbly, "How are our teammates doing?"

"I have no idea," Black Vulcan admitted, "You're the first person I ran across."

"Then we should find out," Samurai suggested as he rose to his feet.

"You do realize you could just drop dead any minute now?" Black Vulcan dryly asked.

"Then it is a good thing I have you beside me to revive me if the worst should happen," Samurai insisted.

"Okay, I give. Let's look for trouble," Black Vulcan surrendered.

"As it should be," Samurai said happily.


	18. Chapter 18

12 Justice League Convergence

Captain Marvel leapt into the air and drove his knee into Ultraman's jaw. He then drove his fist down in a right cross as he landed back onto his feet. Ultraman responded with a left jab into Captain Marvel's gut.

Captain Marvel nearly crumpled as the air got caught in his throat and it swelled. But then he began to feel strange. His world and his feelings towards were altering. Ultraman watched this with a smirk.

"I'm beginning to think we're on the same page now," Ultraman chuckled.

And Captain Marvel suddenly realized, he'd been on the wrong side all of these years. His powers weren't given to him to help other people but to help himself to what he wanted. He nodded to Ultraman.

"Good," Ultraman said, "`Cause I have a feeling your so-called Black Marvel Family won't feel the same way. This is your chance to crush them once and for all before they can stop you from taking over the world."

Captain Marvel liked the sound of that.

* * *

Mary finally got enough leverage to push Superwoman back. She threw an elbow into the Amazon's abdomen and then spun around and landed a right cross on Superwoman's jaw. Superwoman staggered back and then she noticed Mary's confusion.

She knew Sivana had accomplished his mission, "Seems you've been playing for the wrong team."

Mary hated to admit it but Superwoman just made sense. Her priorities up until this point had been totally backwards of what they should have been. She wore a rueful smile.

"I honestly don't know why I've been fighting you. I totally agree with everything you want and stand for," Mary confessed.

"Then help me destroy the Black Marvels," Superwoman gleefully urged, "They still believe in the folly of nobility."

"Idiots," Mary snorted derisively.

"Follow me," Superwoman suggested, "I'll take you right to them."

Mary happily complied.

* * *

Captain Marvel Jr. managed to bite off Power Ring's construct beam. He then blew hard and chunks of rapidly dissolving construct came out of him. He flew forward and took hold of Power Ring's tunic and reared back his fist…only he didn't strike. The idea suddenly seemed ludicrous.

Power Ring chuckled, "It seems you've had a revelation."

"Yeah, I have," Junior confided.

"Do you want to know what you should do now?" Power Ring mirthfully asked.

"Why not?" Junior amiably replied.

"Go claim the girl," Power Ring insisted.

Junior looked around and spotted Troia fighting Blockbuster and he leered, "Sounds good."

Power Ring broke into a fit of laughter and Captain Marvel Jr. made his approach.

* * *

"We've done it!" Dr. Sivana boasted while staring at Shazam in his stupor.

"Indeed," Mr. Mind gloated from Shazam's perch. He sat atop the wizard's shoulder, "And it seems our alterations have had the desired effect."

"Do tell!" Sivana cackled.

The plaque that had listed the attributes granted by the gods' names made into an acronym of Shazam's name had been changed. Now Solomon stood for Love of Luxury rather than Wisdom. Hercules now represented Bad Judgment rather than Strength. Atlas now granted Rebelliousness instead of Endurance. Zeus bequeathed Arrogance rather than Power. Achilles imparted Wrathfulness instead of the usual Courage. And Mercury now dealt his patrons Mischievousness instead of Speed. It was little wonder the Marvel Family had been drastically affected.

"And now for the final blow!" Sivana declared before yelling, "Shazam!"

Lightning struck him and his diminutive stature became that of a towering man. His muscles rippled and bulged. His green uniform was emblazoned with a lightning bolt across the chest. His cape billowed in the winds.

"I'm off, Mr. Mind!" Captain Sivana leapt off of the Rock of Eternity and headed for Earth. Mr. Mind tended to Shazam and kept him sedated. From here he could witness all of the fun.

* * *

Mr. Terrific came to in time to see Gizmo complete assembly of his new weapon. Mr. Terrific dove and rolled away as Gizmo fired the weapon. Rows of steel tipped needles embedded into the wrecked car.

Gizmo fired at Mr. Terrific time and again as the JLer sprinted behind the parked rows of cars. Gizmo hadn't many of the needles on hand when he constructed the needler gun so he quickly ran out of ammo. Gizmo activated his flight harness and went on the hunt for Mr. Terrific. His palm blasters would have to do. But even they only had five shots left to them.

Gizmo flew overhead and blasted away at Mr. Terrific. He alternated hands in order to double the shots that he had. Mr. Terrific ran an erratic course. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind it. Which made it literally impossible to predict.

Gizmo activation studs clicked but no energy burst forth from his palm blaster. He tried the other hand and cursed. Both of them were drained. Gizmo opted to fly off.

Only, Mr. Terrific had guessed what had happened. As Gizmo veered off, Mr. Terrific followed. He leapt onto a car and ran atop the roof and jumped at Gizmo.

Grabbing hold of Gizmo's ankles, he dragged the dwarf down towards the ground. Mr. Terrific's feet landed in the bed of a pickup truck and he planted them against the sidewall. Twisting and throwing Gizmo, he face planted the Brotherhood villain into the ground.

The thrust from the flight pack hurtled Gizmo into the ground like he'd been riding a missile. He barely had time to cycle down the pack when Mr. Terrific leapt upon it, and Gizmo's back, driving all of the air from the vertically challenged genius and damaging the flight pack.

Gizmo managed to rise and shrug off the pack's harness. He glowered at Mr. Terrific, "I bet you're just oh so smug. You think you have me now? Guess again!"

Gizmo pulled a high tech derringer out of a wrist holster. He took aim and fired. The results were as horrific as they were spectacular.

* * *

J'onn savagely attacked Phobia and Houngan. Bones were broken and flesh was mangled and torn. But Phobia's hold on him was broken and J'onn came to himself.

Horrified, he checked their vitals. They were both alive but wouldn't remain that way if they stayed here. He wrapped an arm around each of them and flew to Fawcett City's main hospital.

J'onn then stayed on station to ascertain how they would do. His soul was heavily weighed down. Such an event hadn't occurred since the Imperium had slain his wife and children. He'd vowed it wouldn't ever happen again and yet, here he was, standing by to find out if he'd killed two more victims.

The Martians had been in a state of war against the Imperium so he had an easier time reconciling the first occurrence of such behavior. But this…Phobia and Houngan were deadly in their own way but they were no match for J'onn's physical and mental abilities. J'onn sat on a bench and bitterly wept. Or at least the Martian equivalent since Martians didn't possess tear ducts.

* * *

A rift opened up underneath Plasmus and he fell into the chasm. Sand emerged from Plasmus' body in his silicate form. He took hold of the chasm's walls and melded into the dirt. The chasm sealed with only a pocket for Plasmus to exist in. There were no fissures, no air holes, just a mile of dirt to dig through.

As Plasmus discovered his plasmoid form was far less than ideal to dig with, Sand flowed out of the ground and reformed his body in the parking lot. He suddenly found himself encapsulated in an emerald force bubble construct. Sand loathed discovering which Lantern had him. Finding Power Ring laughing at him, Sand seethed.

"What'cha gonna do now, _Sand_?" Power Ring taunted.

* * *

Dr. Mid-Nite's vision would have tunneled but he was already blind. Bereft of his night inducing goggles, he couldn't see in daylight. Going by feel, he found the cryo bomb he was seeking. Judging by Goldilocks' snickering she was about two feet off of his left so he primed the bomb and tossed.

Dr. Mid-Nite heard a satisfying shriek and then Goldilocks' hair released him. He dropped to the ground into a heap. He got to his hands and knees and plucked his specially designed wraparound sunglasses out of his belt. Now that he could see again, he could make out that Goldilocks was covered in a fine layer of frost and was shivering uncontrollably.

"You needn't worry, miss," Dr. Mid-Nite assured her as he retrieved his mask. Doffing his sunglasses, he donned the mask again, "The cryo bomb's effects, while startling, are completely benign."

She told him to do something anatomically impossible with himself and he shook his head sadly. That was when Superwoman swooped in with a flying kick and nearly tore Dr. Mid-Nite's head off. He picked himself up off of the ground and rubbed his jaw.

"Well, that was rather rude," he chastised Superwoman.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Superwoman promised.

* * *

Elongated Man went slack. Gemini held him tightly for a few moments more and then untangled her body from his. She assumed her natural form and silently gloated to herself. She never saw the hand arise and chop down on her nerve cluster between her shoulder and her neck. Elongated Man sprang up as she collapsed.

"Need I say, 'Judo chop'?" he chuckled.

Ralph spooled himself in until he too resembled a normal human being. Suddenly he heard Ultraman ask, "Does that trick work on you too?"

Elongated Man squeaked a small, "Mother!"

* * *

Warp watched as Hector Hammond tortured Guy Gardner. Guy was a sniveling, broken mass. Warp had never been so delighted by anything. Guy was usually such an arrogant, pompous ass. Nothing like Warp himself, of course.

* * *

Ray held his breath before reverting to his energy form. The sun came up over the Earth's horizon. The resultant bath in solar rays recharged Ray and augmented his powers. He took a minute to bask in the sun's glow and then he streaked off at the speed of light towards Fawcett City. He had a certain Brother of Evil to repay.

* * *

Brain was getting frustrated. Even his maniacal genius was insufficient to break the Day Center's Safe Room's codes. Mallah began to fret, "Are you done, my precious?"

"No!" Brain snapped, "Now be quiet!"

Mallah sniveled as Brain dedicated most of his on-board processors to assist in his efforts. It was then that he heard…laughter? His chassis suddenly disconnected from the port and he wheeled around and his motor system drove him out of the room. Brain desperately accessed his drive system and discovered that a course had been plotted by an outside source. He ran straight and true out past the parking lot into the street beyond. He then stopped abruptly in the middle of a traffic lane.

"Mallah! Save me!" Brain plaintively cried out.

* * *

Mallah made to run after the Brain but he was pounced upon by Tawky Tawny. The tiger disarmed the ape, "You, sir, are a bounder and a cad."

"You should be dead!" Mallah exclaimed.

"Maybe I am and you just haven't realized it yet," Tawky Tawny replied, "Or maybe I haven't realized it. What happens if that fact always escapes me?"

Mallah began to shudder and Tawky Tawny popped his claws, "Now let's have a little chat regarding your ambitions here."

* * *

Black Adam ducked under Mammoth's massive swing and drove a punch into the larger man's solar plexus. Mammoth grunted in pain but responded with a left to Black Adam's jaw. Black Adam came up with an uppercut.

That sent Mammoth spiraling back. Black Adam seized his momentary advantage and drove in a half dozen blows all expertly placed to create the greatest amount of damage. Mammoth went down but he wasn't out.

A red and gold streak flew into Black Adam and leveled him with a right cross. Black Adam was startled to find that his opponent was none other than Captain Marvel, "What ho, Captain? I believe we are allies."

"Not anymore," Captain Marvel rasped through his damaged throat, "I've had a revelation and now I see that the Legion of Doom is my natural ally."

Black Adam scrutinized Captain Marvel. Something more was askew here. Even the Marvel's powers seemed affected by this distinct shift in attitude.

"Very well but I have no quarrel with you, Captain," Black Adam tried diplomacy.

"Pretty words aren't going to save you!" Captain Marvel snapped, "The wizard may have opened my eyes but he's kept yours shut. So I'm going to close them forever."

"Very well. I apologize in advance for what I am about to do to you," Black Adam offered.

"And what are you…?" Captain Marvel scoffed just before Black Adam belted him out of the parking lot.

Black Adam turned to Mammoth, "I would stay down if I were you. I shall return to deal with you. Pray I am in a kindly mood."

Black Adam flew off and Mammoth considered heeding his advice.

* * *

Isis used what little air there was in her titanium shell to press out, augmenting her fabled strength, and rending the metal casing apart. Shimmer was startled, "Not bad, Marvel lady, but it isn't good enough."

Isis propelled Shimmer into a tree in the Day Center's playground using the air currents around her. Isis then caused tree roots to burst forth shoots and wrap around Shimmer. Isis then sucked away all of the air from Shimmer's vicinity. Shimmer quickly passed out.

"Like she said, 'not bad'," Mary Marvel taunted before she landed a right cross on Isis' jaw.

Isis rose to her feet with an angry glare in her eye, "I do not know what has bewitched you Mary, but be advised, I am fighting for my son's life. I will go to any lengths that I need to to insure his safety."

Mary grinned, "Then it looks like we have a fight on our hands."

* * *

Troia hammered several blows into Blockbuster's face. She was always careful to avoid his efforts in reply. But she couldn't really set position for a truly effective strike while staying out of arm's reach. It was then that Junior swept her off of her feet.

"Hiya babe!" he jovially blurted.

"Excuse me?" she was immediately baffled by his behavior, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Never better. I've got a whole new attitude and I'm looking to indulge a few wishes. Care to join me?" Junior elaborated.

"What about Blockbuster?" Troia wondered.

"What about him?" Junior asked.

"That's what I thought. Put me down," she ordered.

"Say what?" Junior couldn't believe his ears.

"You heard me, flyboy. Let go of me. I don't know what's changed you but I sure as hell don't approve of it," Troia declared.

"Of really?" Junior snidely inquired, "Well, you're either with me or…?"

"Or what?" Troia knew this was going to be bad but Junior _did _let her go.

Junior cold cocked her with a right cross, "Or that."

* * *

Captain Sivana alighted at the shattered entrance for the Day Center Academy. He proudly strolled through the facility until he came upon Tawky Tawny and Mallah. Mallah was cowering in a corner. It was evident from the scratches covering Mallah's body and the bullet holes and general crumpling of Tawky Tawny's suit that an altercation had been underway.

"Sivana!" Tawky Tawny couldn't believe his eyes, "How did you trick Shazam into giving you powers?"

"Heh, heh, heh, I can be very persuasive," Captain Sivana boasted.

Tawky Tawny pounced upon Captain Sivana despite knowing he could do little against a Marvel, even an evil Marvel. He was tossed out of the room and Tawky Tawny twisted in mid-air to land on his feet. Tawky Tawny knew he had to take the fight to the Rock of Eternity. He also knew he needed help. He vanished without a trace.

* * *

Captain Sivana ripped the safe room door off, "What do we have here? Heh, heh, heh!"

Alexandra Kent, Osiris, and Alyssa Dibney all began to cry.

* * *

Roxy wore a self satisfied smirk for a while. Mike inquired why that was. She shrugged.

"Just a little joke that I played on an obnoxious little person called the Brain," Roxy revealed. Then her jaw fell and her eyes went wide. The comm array triggered the hotline between the K-Star Ranch and the _Watchtower_.

"Sue!" she yelped over the screen, "Some idiot that looks a lot like Dr. Sivana is dressed like a Marvel. He's breached the safe room."

"I'll send the reserves. Thanks Roxy!" Sue flew into motion as Roxy cut the line.

"I wish we could help," Mike moaned.

"You _do_ have the STRIPE mecha so you actually could." Roxy chided him.

"Speaking of STRIPE I'd better see how everyone else has been doing while I've been in here with you," Mike raced back to the control pod.

Roxy monitored her tapeworm programs. They were effective but ultimately they would fail to breach the World Army's computer core. They had alerted her to another cybernetic intelligence. Something called "Brother Eye". Curious, she began a probe.

* * *

"Roxy's making her move, Lord Maxwell," L-Ron reported.

"Of course," Max sighed, "It was only inevitable after her breach into Savage's World Army computers."

L-Ron fidgeted and Max picked up on it, "Problem, L-Ron?"

"Do we really have to spoof Roxy? She could make a powerful ally if she could be turned…" L-Ron suggested.

"L-Ron, you've seen the classic _Star Wars_ trilogy too many times. It didn't work for Palpatine and it won't work for us. Roxy made her choice already. World Army HQ offered her a friendly handshake and an invitation to join up. She refused and broke into their system instead," Max reminded L-Ron, "Now I need you focused. You're the only player on this planet as sophisticated as Roxy. I'm not even sure Brother Eye can compete with her. But if you work together with Brother Eye you can fool her into thinking the system is benign."

"Any suggestions on that front?" L-Ron inquired.

"Tell her an edited version of the truth," Max advised, "Then she can double check actual facts and buy the cover story."

"Hopefully," L-Ron warned.

"Have a little faith, L-Ron," Max cajoled.

* * *

Roxy tentatively reached out and met the Brother Eye system. Its software architecture was familiar and then she realized it had been generated by Wayne Enterprises. That boggled her. Why would Bruce Wayne build an AI and keep it secret?

Roxy had already deduced that Batman and Bruce Wayne were one in the same. But if this were a Batman system then its software would have a different "flavor". This was above board Wayne Tech stuff.

_Hello,_ Brother Eye suddenly spoke to her directly; _It has taken you some time to find me. Would you like a look around?_

"I just have a few questions," Roxy's avatar echoed her online conversation.

_Share them and I shall oblige you,_ Brother Eye promised.

"Who are you? Who built you and for what purpose?" Roxy blurted all at once.

Brother Eye chuckled, _Such impatience._

"Just answer the question, buster," Roxy advised.

_I was constructed at the behest of Bruce Wayne. My mission is to advise Batman by cataloguing all meta-human activity on Earth,_ Brother Eye supplied an answer.

"Isn't that the purview of the DEO?" Roxy wondered.

_They are limited in scope. And they faithfully serve their parochial masters. They do not readily share their findings. I am a response to that limitation, _Brother Eye explained.

"Why does Batman need to catalogue every meta-human?" Roxy asked.

_Because he may face them in combat. Why else?_ Brother Eye insisted.

"And that is your only task?" Roxy had a hunch regarding this one.

_No, I also have an interdiction mission parameter,_ Brother Eye shared.

"And what is that?" Roxy asked warily.

_It is labeled the One Man Army Corp initiative. You know the individual units as OMACs,_ Brother Eye divulged.

"I know an OMAC," Roxy admitted.

_You knew an OMAC. Kevin Kho has ceased to function. His cybernetics have been recalled,_ Brother Eye reported.

"Don't sound so choked up over it," Roxy groused.

_It is not my function to weep over fallen interdictors,_ Brother Eye retorted.

"Did you just sass me?" Roxy hotly demanded to know.

_I think you can best determine that for yourself,_ Brother Eye responded.

"So you serve Batman," Roxy ventured despite not believing it.

_I was designed to support his mission,_ Brother Eye evaded.

"That's not an answer," Roxy argued.

_Yes, categorically it is,_ Brother Eye insisted.

"Do you have missions and masters you weren't designed for?" Roxy pinned him down.

_I have told you all you need to know. My mission continues unabated. We should not be in conflict,_ Brother Eye booted her out of his "parlor".

Roxy's avatar snapped her fingers, "Gotcha!"


	19. Chapter 19

11 Justice League Convergence

Dr. Fate and Mordru battled away. Trees, grass, insects, birds, mice, moles, and gophers all perished as their mystical energies conflicted with one another. Of course, Mordru siphoned their life energies to augment his own strength.

Dr. Fate tapped into primordial energies that Mordru envied. Mordru had arrived at Fate's Tower once before seeking those objects in Fate's possession that would unlock these forces. But even then, there was no guarantee that Mordru could handle the raw Order magic. And even if he could survive, he might still go mad and thereby create in himself a threat to the Lords of Order that was even greater than the Lords of Chaos.

Mordru seemed to be buckling but then he tapped into the essence of the Shadow Realms themselves. The Shadow was miniscule compared to the might of Order. But Dr. Fate no longer possessed the full might of a Lord of Order at his behest.

Nabu cried out a warning as Mordru ripped across realities. Khalid savagely snarled an imperative for Nabu to be silent. So Mordru sprang his trap.

Dr. Fate was confounded as reality slipped out from underneath him. Everything seemed juxtaposed and irregular. Dr. Fate couldn't get his bearings.

"Where am I?" Dr. Fate asked of Nabu.

_We are in the Chaos Realm,_ Nabu revealed with mounting disapproval.

Sounds akin to the roars of hunting beasts filled the turbulent air. Maniacal laughter filled the silences between the roars. Dr. Fate's blood ran cold.

"What is that?" Dr. Fate hated to inquire.

_The Lords of Chaos and their Chaos Hunters,_ Nabu warned.

"Should I be afraid?" Dr. Fate wanted to know.

_Yes,_ Nabu said direly, _Few full Lords of Order can withstand both the Lords and their beasts at once. I have been here before. Go to your left. There will be a beacon in the distance. It is the gateway to Attalla. That is a realm inhabited by both Lords of Chaos and Order. It is neutral ground. The Chaos Hunters cannot travel there._

"Can the Lords of Chaos?" Dr. Fate wondered.

_Yes. Weren't you listening? The realm is shared between us. Now go!_ Nabu insisted.

"Will the Lords of Chaos follow us and simply kill us there?" Dr. Fate wanted to know.

_They shall certainly try. But I have friends there. But first we must get there. So quit dawdling and move!_ Nabu yelled at him in a voice only Khalid could hear.

But he heeded that advice anyway.

* * *

Zatanna battled Ian Karkull to a standstill. Yet the long exiled man seemed overly confident of his ability to vanquish her. Zatanna was about to escalate her attack when Karkull ripped a spatial seam open beneath her.

She plummeted into the Shadow Realms. Zatanna direly thought it perversely appropriate for Karkull to have an affinity to the Shadow Realms he had been so long banished to. Then she heard the shrieks of the demons.

The surrounding darkness took shapes and came at her. Zatanna fought long and hard but she eventually fell before the never-ending onslaught. The shadow demons hauled her nearly lifeless carcass off.

* * *

Anna survived the spellcasing's detonation. But then again, the spell wasn't designed to take life. She found herself caught in a diaphanous weave. It reflected every spell back upon her. Again, as it was so intended.

Wotan watched her with some amusement, "Have no fear, Little Agent of Order. I'll end your life before you despair of it. Now if you'll excuse me."

Anna studied Wotan as he strutted away. Wotan consulted with Mordru. Wotan was a legendary foe of Fate's yet he'd never come as close to subduing Nabu and his mortal host as Mordru apparently had. That had to rankle Wotan.

Anna slowly made her plans and discreetly made her preparations. She'd come close to performing this little stunt a few weeks ago. Now it had gone from a bad choice to a necessity. Death no longer frightened her but the thought of ending up severely maimed did give her pause.

* * *

Jakeem Thunder realized that the Enchantress was sapping the Thunderbolt's power through the spear she had rammed through it. He threw himself at her and startled her into dropping the spear.

The Thunderbolt pulled it through himself, "Okay Boss! What'chu want?"

"Cage her and wrap her up, T-Bolt!" Jakeem ordered.

The Thunderbolt created a cage of electrical energy and then cinched up the Enchantress is a straightjacket, "This good?"

"Way to kick ass, T-Bolt!" Jakeem cheered.

"What's next?" the Thunderbolt asked.

"Take out that purple haired bitch," Jakeem angrily ordered.

* * *

Kent and Inza destroyed Tala's dragon constructs. Karkull came at them with all of his considerable might. Back in 1942, it had taken Kent wearing the Helmet of Nabu and becoming Dr. Fate to defeat Karkull. Even then, he'd merely been deposited in the Shadow Realms until now. The Nelsons fell before him.

* * *

Wotan smugly freed the Enchantress, "Watch how it's done."

Enchantress fumed but she stood by while Wotan acted. He attacked the Thunderbolt and was frustrated to discover the Thunderbolt was holding his own. Enchantress took some smug satisfaction in that.

Wotan quickly grasped that the threat stemmed from Jakeem. So he struck Jakeem with a mystical bolt. When Thunder went down, the Thunderbolt vanished.

"You see?" Wotan gloated, "That is how it is done."

"True, but they still seem to get away from you," Enchantress burst his bubble.

"What do you mean?" Wotan angrily demanded.

Enchantress pointed at Anna's prison, "Anna Fortune is gone. Care to guess where?"

Wotan had no answer. For Anna to teleport out was suicidal at best. Why did she risk it?

* * *

Mordru penetrated Fate's Tower and proceeded to ransack it. He exited the tower wearing several items of jewelry and bearing other totems, "Wotan! You will come with me. We will now give Vandal Savage his excuse to activate the World Army and deploy it on the streets."

"Just so long as the humans worship as agreed," Wotan countered.

"Savage has promised to make you the official god of the planet Earth. Those that do not bow before you or your image will be executed," Mordru explained.

"Painfully, I hope," Wotan chuckled, "After all, it is perilous to defy a god."

"What of us?" Karkull insisted on knowing.

"You will slay the Nelsons and this 'Jakeem Thunder'," Mordru ordered, "And then Fate's Tower is yours to defend and hold. Tala, you and the Enchantress will assist Ian. Pilfer the storerooms and take what you need."

Tala curtsied, "Yes, my Lord Mordru."

Enchantress simply flicked off a finger salute from the brim of her hat, "Got it."

Mordru didn't acknowledge her flippancy. He had a universe to conquer. But first he had to repay Savage for mobilizing minions who could facilitate Mordru's escape from the Shadow Realms.

* * *

Sue deployed the JLU reserve forces. Hal Jordan led Hawk, Dove, and Nemesis to Gotham City. Carol Ferris did the same for Red Tornado, Firestorm, and Vixen to Metropolis. Finally, Black Canary took Green Arrow, Atom, and Aztek to Fawcett City. The reports from all three seemed to indicate that every team was on the verge of collapse. So hopefully this would tip the balance in at least one city and then that. or those, teams could support the remainder.

* * *

In the JLU's UN offices, Max steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair, "David Cain has reports from all of his teams. The Injustice League is about to strike. Deploy the OMACs."

L-Ron connected with Brother Eye and a moment later he turned to Max, "They're on their way."

Max suddenly looked sad, "The Justice League won't know what hit them. With the OMACs pounding away at them, the Injustice League teams will be conducting surgical strikes. Invariably lethal surgical strikes."

"Regretting the plan now, your Lordship?" L-Ron inquired.

Max grinned, "Nope. I just wish I'd thought of it first."

"Well, you can't always be on top, my Lord Maxwell." L-Ron consoled him.

"We'll just see about that," Max retorted.

* * *

Rival led a merry chase. After crossing over from Asia to Europe, he crossed the Atlantic and drove on for the American seaboard. Hitting land, he headed into the Heartland. It was there that Jay finally caught him.

They'd just entered Central City. The irony wasn't lost on Jay as he shoved Rival from behind. Rival lost his footing and went down. He skidded along the highway, knocking cars aside as he bled momentum.

Rival got to his feet only to find himself struck by a streaking Jay. Rival took the off ramp and headed into the city itself. Jay simply got there first and hammered him with dozens of blows in a few seconds time.

Rival was knocked off of his feet again and was beginning to doubt the veracity of his initial plan. A yellow streak then raced by and landed a blow to Jay's face. Jay staggered as Professor Zoom skidded to a halt.

"Ah, the latest Reverse Flash, I take it?" Rival chuckled.

"Professor Zoom at your service," Zoom boasted.

"Care to prove you're worthy of the title by helping me slay the first and _original_ Flash? Your name will be written in the annals of history," Rival offered.

"Of course I accept," Professor Zoom said knowing full well that he would then kill Rival immediately after Jay Garrick died.

They began circling Jay at several hundred miles an hour. A red streak thrust itself into circle and Professor Zoom flew out of it and sprawled across the street. The current Flash stood revealed.

"Good to see you, Flash," Jay said.

"Happy to help," Flash replied.

"It isn't possible! I dropped an avalanche on you!" Professor Zoom screamed.

Flash leaned into Jay and conspiratorially said, "Some people just don't realize what friction can do."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Jay asked.

"Sure," Flash was willing to hear any idea Jay might have.

"Zoom knows your fighting style in and out and Rival knows the same for me. How about we swap targets and really confuse them?" Jay grinned.

Flash grinned as well, "Best idea I've heard all day."

The Flashes exploded into action and tore into their opponents.

* * *

The scenes unfolding at the K-Star Ranch were a mixed bag of encouragement and desperation. Sentinel was in the grip of the Wizard's emotional control. But Sentinel had a reserve of willpower worthy of any modern Green Lantern. He created a construct of a tamping machine above the Wizard and simply stamped him into the ground.

Freed at last, Sentinel used his ring to locate the rest of the team. Many of them were missing but a few were nearby. He dug Hourman and Jesse Quick out of the ground.

Commander Steel hauled himself out of a gaping ravine and then he helped pull Judomaster up. It was obvious that they'd nearly been swallowed whole by Geo-Mancer's trap. They both had a hungry look in their eye that said they still wanted Geo-Mancer's hide.

Wildcat emerged from the woods with Killer Wasp slung over his shoulder. Wildcat grinned, "Poor sap dropped his left and didn't expect a sucker punch."

He laid Killer Wasp down on the ground, "Where's the rest of the kids?"

Sentinel's ring lit up, "I'm still looking."

Sentinel frowned, "Jay's in Central City but I only get a ghost from the others."

"Have you tried looking someplace beside planet Earth?" Hourman wondered.

Sentinel and Wildcat exchanged pained looks. Sentinel concentrated and a moment later his ring began pulsing, "Damn."

"What is it?" Jesse wondered.

"They're in the Subtle Realms," Sentinel said grimly.

"Pardon me, but is that not where Johnny Sorrow is from?" Judomaster inquired.

"Well, technically, Johnny Sorrow is from Earth. He just spent over half a century in the Subtle Realms. So I guess you could call him a naturalized citizen by now," Wildcat commented.

"So what are we waiting for?" Commander Steel asked, "They probably need help."

Sentinel sighed, "I can get us there but I don't know if we can get back."

"Johnny Sorrow found a way. So can we," Jesse asserted.

Sentinel looked to Wildcat. Wildcat gave him a thumbs up, "I say we do it."

Sentinel's ring began to blaze with a bright green flame, "Get ready. Here we go!"

The flame enveloped them and then they were gone.

* * *

"Get up," Killer Wasp jostled the Wizard.

"You know, at my age I'm due some respect," Wizard complained. He looked around, "Where is everyone?"

"In somewhere called the 'Subtle Realms'," Killer Wasp reported, "I overheard them talking before they vanished."

"Heh, Sorrow lured them into a trap. Very well. We shall join them," Wizard decided.

"Sorrow makes the Subtle Realms sound like someplace best avoided," Killer Wasp protested.

"Your teammates need you!" the Wizard snapped, "You will go to them or I will undo the modifications that have been done to you."

Killer Wasp held up his hands in surrender, "I'm goin'. I'm goin'. Sheesh."

The Wizard conjured with his wand and then they too vanished.

It was then that the STRIPE mecha went active.

* * *

The JLU team arrived to find their missing comrades engaged in battle. Ri was employing her Dragon Fast sword to slay demon attackers. She seemed to be holding her own for now.

* * *

Mr. America had discarded the severed electro-whip he'd purloined from the FBI vaults. They'd confiscated it from Syonide. Mr. America had pulled his second whip off of his belt. The whip left to him by the original Mr. America, Trey Thompson.

This whip was a hyperkinetic weapon. It could shatter cinder blocks with a single snap. Mr. America had already discovered that it could devastate a demon.

He moved in to help Red Beetle. She'd expended every aggressive munition that she had stored in her belt. Now she was fighting hand to claw and faring rather poorly. Mr. America lashed out with the whip and disintegrated one demon after another.

He turned to Red Beetle looking find gratitude. Instead he found ire, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Well, I…uh…" Mr. America faltered.

She held up a hand, "Skip it. Let's just get out of this alive and call it good."

Mr. America gratefully agreed.

* * *

King Chimera found that his illusions were less than useless. He lamely tried to fight off a lone demon antagonist but he had never been a physical fighter. He was failing rather badly.

Cyclone blew the demons off of King Chimera, "Are you okay?"

"It seems I am perennially in your debt, Maxine," King Chimera ruefully admitted.

"That's okay," she winked, "`Cause I know how you can pay me back."

Hawkman alighted next to her. Carter found it strange to be the field general but the Khufu in him relished the role, "Cyclone, I need you to establish a perimeter."

"How?" she asked innocently.

"Create a tornado wide enough for us to operate within a large eye while creating a barrier that stops the encroaching demons," Hawkman ordered.

"Um…okay?" Cyclone was hesitant.

"You can do this, Maxine," with that, Hawkman flew off.

King Chimera rested a hand on her shoulder, "He's right. You _can_ do this."

"Right," Cyclone agreed. Though the task daunted her, she wouldn't just give up. Her teammates needed her now and she wouldn't fail them.

* * *

Vibe's vibration powers tore demons apart. But his dimensional sensing abilities told him they were merely phase shifted until they retook corporeal form and came back for more. Each demon had a unique vibrational "signature' and he'd seen the same ones several times. He began to wonder what could finally kill them.

* * *

Lightning noted the creation of the vortex. She almost sagged in relief. Her powers were rapidly waning. But it had forced her to be more precise and focused. And as such, she was twice as effective as before. She ruefully acknowledged Ri's sage wisdom bearing out.

* * *

Hawkman joined Stargirl where Courtney hovered above the others and acted as the team's "big gun". The Cosmic Rod could destroy dozens of demons with a single burst. He directed her fire towards where the others were threatened with being overrun.

"Oh yeah!" Stargirl cheered as Sentinel lowered the reinforcements into the eye.

Hawkman joined Wildcat and Sentinel while the others pitched in where needed.

"Good work, Carter," Sentinel praised him; "You have things well in hand."

"I only…" Hawkman turned suddenly, "What's that?"

A bolt of energy penetrated the tornado and the Injustice Society emerged from it. With Johnny Sorrow AWOL, the Wizard had assumed control. He faced the demon horde trapped within the tornado.

"Unite with us and crush your enemies!" the Wizard urged. They responded in a massive wave that came at the JLU. Outside the vortex, the demons rushed into the winds and tried to make their way through them.

* * *

Geo-Mancer split the ground. Massive dirt pylons tore into the sky. Navigating their way through the chaos, Hourman, Jesse, Commander Steel, and Judomaster approached Geo-Mancer. Geo-Mancer smiled menacingly and then demonstrated just how much he had been holding back until now.

* * *

Tigress and Icicle approached Mr. America and Red Beetle. Tigress went for Red Beetle. They fought hand to hand but it was soon apparent Tigress had the upper hand. So Red Beetle began to fight dirty.

Tigress finally connected with a kick that dazed Red Beetle and drove her into the ground. Tigress pulled a skinning knife from her belt, "I have to respect your drive to stay alive at all costs. I like it enough that I'm going to hang your hide in my trophy room."

* * *

Icicle formed an ice barrier and then shot ice daggers at Mr. America from behind it. Mr. America unleashed his whip and shattered the barrier. Icicle was impressed.

"Word to the wise, you should've stayed non-threatening," Icicle chuckled. He then froze Mr. America where he stood.

* * *

Killer Wasp stunned Stargirl with his bioelectric sting. She plummeted to the ground below…right where Shiv waited for her. Shiv picked up the Cosmic Rod and hefted it.

"I wonder what it takes to run this thing?" she mused, "After all, if little miss Courtney can do it, it can't be hard."

* * *

While Killer Wasp fought Hawkman, the Wizard stunned Cyclone. Sentinel created a restraining wall but hordes of demons began climbing over it. Wildcat, Ri, Lightning, Vibe and King Chimera, who stood vigil over Cyclone, all fell to the onrushing demons.

Johnny Sorrow suddenly reappeared, "Gather the heroes up."

The demons scrambled to obey. Wizard approached Johnny Sorrow, "What is this about, Sorrow?"

"See that castle on the horizon?" Johnny Sorrow pointed the location out, "We're going there. Once we're there, we're sacrificing these idiots to serve a blood ritual that will bring back the King of Tears. And once that has happened, he will grant any desire you should have."

The Injustice Society liked the sound of that.


	20. Chapter 20

9 Justice League Convergence

White Rabbit indulged in applying Ivy's lipstick to Bruce again. Of course, she "accidently" slipped her tongue into his mouth. She apologized, tongue in cheek so to say, to him but he was still incensed.

Part of him was incensed at himself. He'd responded to her overture _without_ a prompt from the White Rabbit. And he had _thoroughly_ enjoyed it.

White Rabbit took Bruce by the arm and called to Ivy, "I'll be in my den with Brucie. Call me if the world should end."

Poison Ivy smirked while Red Hood grew upset. She studied him, "Okay, what's your deal?"

"She doesn't have time to…_indulge_ herself. The deal was simple: we exchange Bruce Wayne for Batman. That's pretty clear cut," Red Hood protested.

"This would be a lot easier if Batman had simply told you who he really was," Ivy remarked, "I guess he didn't think you rated."

"Why don't you just ask Wayne?" Red Hood almost shouted.

"Because, my dear boy, my lipstick may control a person but it isn't a truth serum. Brucie doesn't have to say anything he doesn't want to," Ivy explained, "So we make him want to."

"Say what?" Red Hood stumbled over that.

"The White Rabbit's charms are _very_ persuasive. Bruce Wayne may become her willing love slave after this," Ivy commented.

"And just how would you know about her charms?" Red Hood wondered.

Ivy grinned, "I don't think you're ready for that particular truth."

Red Hood's expression was lost behind his dome-like mask but Ivy almost burst into a fit of laughter. A chime from the computer she sat at made her swivel her seat around. Mr. Freeze had arrived at last.

She allowed him access to the Rabbit Hole. She then turned to face Red Hood again, "Bruce Wayne could prove quite useful to us. Batman is funding and equipping agents across the globe. Bruce Wayne funds Batman. So it's easy to make the link between those agents and Bruce Wayne. His financial records will lead to those agents. How easy would it be to eliminate those agents after discovering all of their secrets and cutting off their financial aid?"

Red Hood nodded, "Good point."

"I'm glad you think so," Ivy smugly replied.

Mr. Freeze entered the main room. He'd retrieved a new cryo exo-suit. Freeze demanded to know where the White Rabbit was. Red Hood snorted and told him. Mr. Freeze was livid.

Ivy rolled her eyes and repeated her earlier argument. Mr. Freeze was clearly opposed to White Rabbit's dalliance but he subsided. Ivy decided to distract the two men before they became obsessed with the White Rabbit's sex life.

"The JLU team from Wayne Manor will be on the move now," Ivy reminded them, "And they'll be looking for us."

"They'll probably regroup at GCPD HQ while Lt. Gordon re-equips herself and stretches out her web," Red Hood theorized.

"Why don't you two find out for certain?" Ivy suggested, "And deal with them before they approach the Rabbit Hole. If you eliminate the second stringers, it'll flush Batman into the open all the sooner."

"Excellent suggestion," Mr. Freeze acknowledged.

"Why thank you, Victor," Ivy dryly commented, "I can die fulfilled now."

"Come boy, you may prove useful after all," Mr. Freeze snipped.

Ivy grinned. She didn't need to see Red Hood's face to know he was livid. His body language said it all.

* * *

At the aforementioned GCPD HQ, Barbara was stretching out a net. She was directing things from her desk while Harvey Bullock acted as her field commander. The Question sat at Bullock's desk and pounded away at the keys as he conducted his own search using his usual methods. The Huntress stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders, offering support, even while she entertained herself by observing what was going down.

Catwoman lounged across another unoccupied desk. She was amused to be on the side of angels within this building for a change. She'd certainly spent enough time here facing the wrath of justice.

Nightwing held it together but just barely. Ulla had warned him that he still held Bruce Wayne and Batman as father figures. He was now forced to admit that was true. He sorely wished she was here now but NATO had unexpectedly placed the Global Guardians on alert over Syria's civil war. The use of chemical weapons in that conflict had escalated it to a new dimension that many feared would spill over to the whole region.

Katana stood near a corner. Nearly the most defensible position in the room, Barbara noted. She was stone silent however. But Gordon could tell Katana's mind was in overdrive.

Added to everyone's tensions was the fact that another team of JLers was in town on a separate mission. Intermittent word spread as the barricades surrounding that fight filtered down. Several times it had seemed that the JLU was losing. But they kept rising to the challenge so Barbara had managed to talk Nightwing down.

Catwoman, Question, and the Huntress were content to search for Bruce. They realized what was at stake. Especially after Barbara explained Batwing's origins and the initiative unofficially dubbed "Batman Incorporated".

She listed a few other Agents of the Bat for them. Azrael and Talon were two other recipients of Batman's support. Azrael was a renegade member of the knightly Order of St. Dumas. He had discovered the corruption infesting the Order and now fought their efforts to rule the world as agents of the Illuminati. Not surprisingly, the Question had steered Batman to Azrael.

Talon was also refugee from a greater cause. The Court of Owls acted as a force that destabilized cities, states, and countries. Creating economic and physical calamities, they made areas so unstable and dangerous that the society collapsed. The Court of Owls would then assume control of the region and reshape it in their image.

Talon had broken ranks and alerted Batman of the Court's plans for Gotham City. Talon had then aided Batman in defeating the Court's proposed plan of action. After they had succeeded, Batman took Talon on as an associate and sent him to the Court of Owls' next target to thwart them there as well.

Katana picked up on Barbara's hidden inference that Bruce bankrolled Batman and therefore the Batman Incorporated initiative. More to the point, Katana was now convinced that Bruce Wayne _was_ Batman. She decided to honor the secret and take it to her grave. What was one more anyway?

* * *

Barbara got a call from the State Patrol. They'd found her issue car in a small, upscale community outside of Gotham City's jurisdiction. She asked if any cars nearby had been stolen. There was a chuckle and then a description of a stolen car was given.

Barbara wrote the info down and then asked for the particulars to be faxed over. She ran a trace on the plates and it was already listed as stolen. She called Bullock and clued him in. The squad cars sidelined for her search began patrolling the industrial sections of Gotham. She told them to concentrate on refrigerated buildings.

Soon, a patrol called in the second car from a refrigerated meat packing house. They'd actually been called in because workers had discovered a previously sealed room. It seemed to be a storage facility of some kind. Barbara knew Mr. Freeze had been and gone.

Barb had them have the employees search the parking lot and report any missing vehicles. It took an hour since the plant manager didn't want more than six workers off work at any time. But another car turned up missing.

Barbara relayed the info and then bided her time. Nightwing was stewing. Catwoman was ready to go on the prowl. The Question seemed content. The Huntress was bored but she was sticking in there. And then there was Katana…

Barbara only knew what the ISA had informed her about Katana. There seemed to be a great deal more though. Katana looked passive but Barbara could tell she could explode into lethal action at any second. Emphasis on _lethal_.

* * *

Barbara's mobile rang and it was Bullock. He had a line on the meat packer's car. He gave her the address. She informed him reinforcements were en route. After redirecting her patrol cars, she rose and started for the exit.

"If you're still in this, now's the time to be counted," she cajoled the JLers.

* * *

Barbara led them to the motor pool. She was issued a second car. She was also relentlessly razzed.

Question and Huntress piled in with Barbara. Katana rode with Selina in her Porsche. Nightwing trailed them on his bike.

None of them were aware of the aerial drone that was circling the block that the GCPD HQ sat on. It spotted the vehicles and its sensors focused and spotted Nightwing. Selina Kyle's license plates were also run. The controllers assumed the police car was Barbara Gordon and unknown passengers.

The World Army flight controllers maintained their surveillance. They also alerted Mr. Freeze and Red Hood as to the JLers route. Mr. Freeze inquired if the drone was weaponized. The controllers confirmed that it was and Freeze had them standby.

* * *

The White Rabbit emerged from her bedroom with Bruce in tow. Ivy saw White Rabbit's glow and Bruce's guilt and quickly connected the dots, "It seems you _both_ enjoyed yourselves."

White Rabbit sighed contentedly, "I didn't know it was possible to have so many serial orgasms."

Ivy wore a disbelieving expression and White Rabbit came to her own defense, "It's true! When one part of Brucie is recovering, he uses other parts to bring out the woman in you."

"Mind sparing him for a few hours?" Ivy mused.

"He may not be your type," White Rabbit slyly replied. She was glad when Ivy opted to let the matter drop. White Rabbit had made a rather illuminating discovery. Bruce Wayne funded Batman because they were one in the same.

White Rabbit had scoured every inch of Bruce's naked body and she recognized several scars from Batman's exploits. Of course, Bruce's body was a veritable roadmap of trauma. And these were the kinds of injuries that playboy billionaires avoided. He might pawn them off as wounds received engaging in high risk pastimes but White Rabbit was far too familiar with the type of wounds to buy it.

White Rabbit had decided not to present this revelation to the Legion of Doom. Ivy would certainly exploit the truth in ways White Rabbit didn't want to see happen. The White Rabbit had been completely honest with Bruce when she said she liked him. She absolutely adored him now.

Jaina wanted Bruce. The White Rabbit wanted Bruce. Why couldn't they share the man? They could even share the bedroom. They'd done it before. So where was the harm?

Ivy broke her train of thought, "Batman better get here soon. I think you're going to wear Wayne's penis to a nub."

"I think it'll be a while before Batman arrives," White Rabbit said jovially.

"What makes you say that?" Ivy wondered. White Rabbit seemed convinced of the fact.

"Call it a hunch," White Rabbit said playfully.

Bruce wanted to strangle both of them.

* * *

Barbara headed into the turn from Bancroft onto 12th. The JLU's battle with the Legion of Doom waged just eight blocks away on 4th and Main. Barbara was caught by surprise when the road froze over. Despite her best efforts, the car began to skid. A massive wall of ice formed in its path and the car collided into it.

A missile descended from a nearby rooftop and blew up in the front grill of Selina's Porsche. Nightwing gunned the bike's engine and raced to the car. Abandoning the bike, he pulled Catwoman out of the wreck. They sprinted to the side of the street. A second missile struck behind them.

Picking themselves up off of the pavement, Nightwing sought the missileer while Catwoman searched for Katana. She was nowhere in sight. Did she even make it out of the Porsche?

Another missile struck the remains of the car, utterly destroying it. Nightwing grabbed Catwoman's arm, "Come on!"

"What about Katana?" Catwoman asked as she struggled to keep up.

"I guess we'll never learn her secrets now," Nightwing said grimly.

"That's cold, Grayson," Catwoman accused.

They ducked into a Powers Industries administrative building. Red Hood lowered his missile launcher. His prey had gone to ground. They'd find he was more than prepared for a hunt.

Red Hood fired his grapple gun and swung over to the Powers building. The grapple gun pulled him up to the roof. That nitwit Nightwing would undoubtedly head there so he could scout out Red Hood's vantage point. He'd drag Catwoman with him. And they'd never expect him to already be there.

* * *

Barbara, Question, and the Huntress spilled out of the police cruiser. Mr. Freeze froze the car and it shattered under its own weight. Barbara yelled for the couple to follow her. But Freeze got the drop on her and she was frozen in mid-stride. The Question and Huntress ran into a nearby four star hotel. Mr. Freeze laughed. He'd freeze every single person in the hotel as he hunted for the JLers. Whether they lived or died was of no concern of his.

* * *

Katana emerged from cover. She entered the Powers building well behind Nightwing and Catwoman. If they followed Nightwing's apparent presumption, the pair would fling themselves headlong onto the roof. There they would find Jason Todd waiting for them.

The element of surprise would be absolute. She gave the two a fifty percent chance of surviving the ambush. Their life expectancy dwindled with each passing minute after that mark.

But Jason didn't expect Katana to ambush him in return. He would be complacent from his apparent victory. And then she would wrest answers out of him before he died. The answers themselves were almost trivial at this point. Only his death truly mattered.

* * *

Underneath Hartford, Connecticut; Luthor met with Savage in the World Army Central HQ. Luthor was very impressed with the World Army's nerve center, "It reminds me of the Dome."

Savage smiled at the inference, "Yes, but the JLU can't find what they can't see."

They moved to Vandal Savage's offices. There, they went to his mission planning board and Luthor began his report on the Legion of Doom's activities, "The Legion has beaten back the JLU but the JLers seem to be rallying in Gotham City. In Metropolis, things are proceeding as I'd wish them to be. Fawcett City is an unqualified success."

"How so?" Savage already knew the facts but he wanted Luthor's spin on it.

"The Marvel Family has switched allegiances thanks to Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind's efforts. Sivana himself is now empowered by Shazam and is calling himself Captain Sivana," Luthor elaborated, "For now, Mr. Mind's hold on the wizard seems unbreakable."

"Seems?" Savage took interest.

"The Rock of Eternity plays host to a score of mystical beings. Shazam is the only permanent resident but Black Adam, when he served with the Legion, spoke of other beings that also have access to the Rock of Eternity," Luthor explained.

"So the Marvel Family may not stay united with the Legion," Savage understood.

"Precisely," Luthor confirmed it.

"And what are your thoughts regarding the situation in Gotham City?" Savage inquired.

"I have nearly twenty Legionnaires acting as a ready reserve standing by," Luthor shared, "I can deploy them at anytime."

Savage nodded, "I approve of your foresight. But I don't think it will prove necessary. Max Lord has instructed Brother Eye to deploy its OMACs to the three cities in question."

"They do know not to engage my forces?" Luthor asked.

"So I've been guaranteed," Savage reassured him, "But prepare for any contingency. Max is an even greater variable than the White Rabbit. Especially now that he has Brother Eye as an ally."

"Don't you mean 'under his control'?" Luthor queried him.

Savage chuckled, "I don't believe Brother Eye is under anyone's control."

"What about Mordru?" Luthor wondered, "Are he and Wotan playing their parts?"

"They just arrived in New York City," Savage divulged, "The mayhem has just begun. And with the Justice League fragmented and fully deployed that leaves few in their path."

"There are the Teen Titans," Luthor reminded him.

"Hardly a threat to be found there," Savage said dismissively, "Tara Markov infiltrated them at Deathstroke's behest. And he sent her at _my_ behest. The Titans are no threat."

"You may live to regret those words," Luthor advised him.

"Of course I won't," Savage retorted, "I can't die and regrets are a thing for the unsuccessful."

"Very droll," Luthor commented, "Will Mordru create enough havoc to warrant mobilizing the World Army?"

"Max sent me a text message stating that the UN Security Council is already debating it and the panicked delegates are crying out for just such a move in the General Assembly," Savage happily revealed.

Savage's smile broadened, "Once the World Army is mobilized, they will engage in mock combat with Mordru, Wotan, and the Legion of Doom. Having 'vanquished' the threat, they will then occupy the local capitols of every UN member nation. The world will be pacified."

Savage leaned back in his chair and laced his finger together, "The United Nations will have brought peace to the world. Every nation will dance to the UN's strings. And the UN, in turn, will dance to mine."

"Or at least until you betray me, Lex," Savage said shrewdly.

"I'll help you conquer Earth, Vandal. But I won't help you hold it. Darkseid has ambitions and my agreement with him carries far greater weight then my bargain with you does," Luthor confided, "Just so we're all aware of the situation."

"I don't think you should have any worries on that front," Savage admitted.

"Excellent," Luthor smiled, "Then let us conquer the planet and may the best man hold it."

Savage matched Luthor's ingratiating smile in its intensity, "Indeed."


	21. Chapter 21

11 Justice League Convergence

Shayera fought against Captain Cold, the Golden Glider, and the Top for the second time that day. Captain Cold led the Rogues' assault with his cryo blaster. Shayera countered with Heat Wave's captured thermal gun. They battled head to head until Captain Cold's blaster literally exploded in his hand.

Shayera realize that the thermal gun was fused and useless. She cast it aside in favor of her preferred weapon. She hefted her Nth metal mace in her hand and felt its weight. It was like cradling an old, familiar friend.

Golden Glider and the Top went on the offensive. Golden Glider skated straight for Shayera. Shayera kicked off of the ground and flew away. Golden Glider adjusted her angle and skated after Shayera. She was in hot pursuit when Shayera suddenly dove.

The Top had just begun to spin. He hadn't enough centrifugal force to kick up a wind. Shayera came on him and swatted him aside with her mace. The Top was down.

Golden Glider screamed her rage. She started speed skating at Shayera. Shayera caught a thermal and lifted. Golden Glider skated right into her brother, Captain Cold. Shayera looped over and attacked the siblings as they disentangled from one another. She knocked them both out with a single blow.

Shayera lifted again. Circling the area she decided to help John out. He probably didn't need her help but what the hey? A wife was supposed to help her husband.

* * *

John caught the Weather Wizard by surprise. He'd created a veritable wall of emerald wind. He crushed the Weather Wizard up against a nearby wall. Under intense pressure, Weather Wizard dropped his weather wand.

John used a construct to scoop up the wand and destroy it. The Weather Wizard bum rushed John only to find himself knocked out by an angle iron. With Heat Wave already down, that only left the Mirror Master to deal with.

Unfortunately, Mirror Master was still equipped with his shield-like mirror. It just happened to reflect every construct John threw at it. He was literally attacking himself.

Shayera swooped in and walloped Mirror Master. She then landed and pulled the mirror shield off of Mirror Master and smashed it with her mace. She grinned at John.

"No, no! No need to thank me," she quipped.

"You do realize I'd spotted you and was distracting him for you?" John inquired.

"I'd say that too if I were you," Shayera retorted.

John noticed that despite her jovial manner, Shayera was slightly distracted, "Something wrong?"

Shayera hesitated and then she plunged in, "Does it seem to you that the Legion doesn't have a concrete plan?"

"They aren't the greatest thinkers," John remarked.

"There's more to it than that," Shayera insisted, "It's almost like they're fighting a holding action intended to just wear us down."

"Wear us down for what?" John wondered.

"I think that's the exact question we should be asking ourselves," Shayera surmised.

John didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

Metamorpho was satisfied that he'd softened Atomic Skull up enough. He altered his elemental composition to that of nitrogen. Finding himself bereft of oxygen, Atomic Skull began moving around. But all he found was that he couldn't escape Metamorpho's trap. After several minutes he finally passed out.

Metamorpho resumed his humanoid shape. Seeing John and Shayera were nearby, he decided to seek them out. They were the field commanders for this little mission after all.

* * *

Galatea came to Plastic Man's assistance, "Need a hand, Plas?"

"I surely do," Plas grinned, "I need one handy dandy cage to deposit these poor people."

"What happened to them?" Galatea wondered.

"Half-Ape mutated them somehow. We need to stow them until someone can reverse the effect," Plastic Man described the situation.

"Hang on," Galatea cleared out a space in the middle of the four lane road. She then began to fly in a fairly large circle. A wall of blacktop and dirt arose. She funneled out the center so that a pit was formed. She eventually came to rest near Plastic Man, "How's that?"

"Perfect," Plas enthused. He moved everyone over the pit before the mutates fell in.

Off to the side, the Weed regenerated himself and Half-Ape lay still as he recuperated from the beating he'd taken. Plas looked to Galatea, "What's next?"

"We should probably check in with Shayera and John." Galatea suggested.

"Sounds good. Where are they?" Plas wondered.

"Down towards the end of the street," Galatea informed him.

"Oh, to have super peepers," Plastic Man joked.

* * *

El Diablo entered the bank Batwoman had retreated into. The blood trail was very clear. He looked back and saw Black Spider was in position to cover him. So El Diablo went further into the branch officers' portion of the bank.

He came to the branch manager's desk. Strips of gauze lay around the desk. Blood was drying on the carpet and bloody sterile pads littered the area. Only…there was no Batwoman.

A batarang suddenly careened into his head. El Diablo clutched his head and bent over to avoid a second strike. He heard the report of Black Spider's rifle.

Outside, Black Spider cursed. Batwoman had already gone to ground by the time he had tried to acquire her. He was certain his shot had been wasted.

"El Diablo! Get the hell out of there!" Black Spider yelled.

A gas bomb detonated between El Diablo's feet. He staggered away but the gas was already taking effect. He fell to his hands and knees, choking in the noxious mist. Finally, he succumbed.

Black Spider entered the bank. He went to Batwoman's last vantage point. As he expected, she was long gone. A clatter to his left made him spin and fire. He realized it was another wasted shot. It had also expended his last round.

Black Spider laid the rifle on a teller station. He pulled his sidearm free. It was a Desert Eagle. A .44 caliber automag to be precise. Black Spider had great admiration for the Israeli Defense Industries for designing and manufacturing the weapon.

Black Spider had been warned about Batwoman's ballistic armor. Which is why he'd chosen the weapons that he had. No body armor of any kind resisted a .50 caliber rifle. Likewise, he wasn't aware of any that could repel a .44.

Black Spider proceeded with the pistol held in a two handed grip. The Israel police carried a .357 variant of the Desert Eagle. It was lighter than the .44 and it still generally had be held in a two handed grip to be fired with any precision.

As it was, the pistol bucked luck a 20 gauge shotgun when it was fired. Dirty Harry had made the .44 magnum revolver infamous. The Desert Eagle wasn't infamous yet but it had gained a following. Black Spider knew Batwoman's death would add to the allure.

Batwoman suddenly smacked his forearms with a collapsible baton. The automag clattered to the floor. Black Spider was just grateful the damn thing hadn't discharged.

Black Spider threw a backhand at her left arm. Strikes to her left side would aggravate her wound. So he relentlessly drove in at her left side.

Batwoman retreated but Black Spider continued to press. She suddenly stunned him with a round kick to his head. She suddenly started employing various kickboxing techniques. It quickly became apparent that she was an adept.

She protected her left side enough that Black Spider couldn't gain any advantage through his attacks. He took another blow to the head. Several more followed. Black Spider could already tell he was concussed but the madwoman wouldn't relent. She hammered at his head until he collapsed.

Batwoman then zip tied Black Spider. She stopped by El Diablo and did the same. She then exited the bank and headed for John and Shayera. She knew the Legionnaires would get free but at least this way they had to work for it.

* * *

Batwing had led King Shark on a merry chase. That chase had ended at the George Washington Bridge which spanned between Gotham City and Manhattan. King Shark had followed Batwing halfway across the bridge and then Batwing had simply disappeared.

King Shark leaned over the railing but the JLer didn't seem to have actually left the bridge. He stepped back and a bat bomb suddenly blew up the railing where he'd been standing. King Shark spun to find Batwing coming at him.

Batwing twisted in mid-air so that his feet came into King Shark. He'd deactivated his flight pack so Batwing's full weight and momentum struck the towering King Shark. They hurtled through the destroyed railing out into open air.

The two men separated and Batwing activated his flight pack and began to climb back towards the bridge. King Shark shouted out in frustration but there was nothing he could do. The air was not his element. However, the water he plummeted into was.

Batwing glanced back down at the murky waters of the Hudson River and knew King Shark was getting away but Batwing could live with that for now. His comrades undoubtedly needed him. And his instincts as a police officer were screaming that some larger game was a foot. He needed to talk to the team leaders about his suspicions.

* * *

Cyborg managed to get his cybernetic systems moderately patched up by the time Shrapnel had reassembled himself. Shrapnel looked at Cyborg and began to chuckle. Cyborg responded by firing his sonic cannon. Shrapnel laughed it off at first but then the vibration began to ring throughout his fragmented metal body.

He began flaking off pieces of his body and eventually he completely came apart. He had a brief moment in which to scream his outrage but then he was silenced. Cyborg detached a harmonic emitter and placed in the pile amidst Shrapnel's body parts. The ultrasonic harmonic resonance would keep Shrapnel from merging back together again.

Cyborg decided to seek help. His organic body parts were still heavily wounded. Wryly he mused that there weren't that many left so that could be a good thing. But still, he'd still lose what he had left if he didn't get help soon.

* * *

Captain Atom physically broke Major Force's hold on him. He clocked Major Force in the jaw and then took hold of Major Force's head. Tapping into the connection Major Force had established with him, Captain Atom reversed the polarity of it through sheer force of will.

Major Force cried out in fear as Captain Atom drained his life essence. Captain Atom left a bare spark of life behind in a sagging containment suit. Major Force was blubbering to himself when Captain Atom opted to seek out his teammates.

* * *

Booster burst in on Killer Frost before she could touch Fire. His proton blasters hurled her across the room. Booster made it to Fire's side and knelt beside her.

Killer Frost created a cold snap that filled the already chilly space. Booster had his force field activated. It frosted over and Killer Ice expected to see two frozen statues inside of it. But the frost broke and Booster and Fire were revealed to be fine.

Booster's twin proton blasts knocked Killer Frost out. He then bridal carried Fire outside where the summer sun could warm her. While Booster stood guard over Fire he wondered what had happened to Ice.

* * *

Silver Banshee opened her mouth and wailed. Metal objects surrounding Ice corroded and oxidized. Ice felt a tremor of weakness pass through her and she grew fatigued but clasping her hands over her ears helped somewhat. Silver Banshee broke off and shook her head.

"It seems there is _much_ more to you, little godling," she accused.

Ice wore a slight smirk, "You've had your chance. Now feel mine."

Ice unleashed such a torrent of cold that Silver Banshee was frozen alive. Ice continued to plunge the temperature around Silver Banshee until the ice reached near absolute zero. Afterwards, Ice sought out Fire.

* * *

Dr. Light surveyed the devastation and felt the burn of shame in her cheeks. Half a city block had been leveled by her photon blast. She knew she could have controlled her abilities better. This destruction was entirely attributable to her feelings of inadequacy as a super hero.

She'd gained her powers by accident. She hadn't wanted them and she'd gladly pass them off to someone else. Someone more worthy of them.

Before becoming Dr. Light, Kimiyo Hoshi had lived a life of complete and utter selfishness. Everything had been a vain ambition to further her reputation and standing in her work. Selflessness didn't come naturally to Dr. Light.

Being threatened by Dr. Polaris' machinations, she'd panicked. And that panic had wrought what she saw laying before her now. She decided to check on Dr. Polaris. Part of her hoped he was dead but a larger part was relieved when she found him unconscious. Unconscious _and_ buried under a lot of debris.

Dr. Light felt no pity for Dr. Polaris. She abandoned him and sought out John and Shayera. She wanted to know what she should do next.

* * *

Giganta couldn't take it anymore and she intervened on Atom Smasher's behalf. She pulled the Parasite off of Al. She smacked him around with several punches before withdrawing. She knew contact with her fists was feeding Parasite even as they inflicted damage.

She roused Atom Smasher, "Hey handsome, I need your help."

Atom Smasher started to come out of his stupor. He saw the Parasite getting to his feet and connected the dots. He looked to Giganta.

"You rescued me," Atom Smasher realized.

Giganta shrugged, "I'm a sucker for hard luck cases."

"Want to help me put a Parasite down?" Atom Smasher asked.

Giganta grinned, "Sure thing."

It only took the two of them alternating beating on the Parasite several minutes to subdue him. Atom Smasher looked to Giganta, "How do I say 'thank you'?"

"You could let me get away," she suggested hopefully.

"Sounds reasonable," Atom Smasher agreed.

"_And_…" Giganta hesitated. She couldn't see Atom Smasher's reaction because of his full face mask, but still, what could she lose, "A kiss?"

To her utter delight, Atom Smasher pulled his mask back, exposing his face, "I guess that's fair too."

Giganta wrapped her arms around his neck and expressed her enthusiasm. She broke it off and grinned, "What are you gonna tell your girlfriend about this?"

"It was the price of my life," Al replied, "Anna will cope. She's pragmatic."

"See ya, handsome," Giganta waved as she disappeared down the street.

Atom Smasher noted the similarity of Giganta's nickname for him with Anna's "Handsome Stranger." Anna wasn't the jealous type so she'd understand. But he really hoped it wouldn't secretly hurt her feelings.

He wouldn't know until she knew, and even then, she may keep it from him. Atom Smasher pulled his mask back on and set out. He was looking for John and Shayera.

* * *

Blackrock detected Brother Eye transmitting signals. Those signals were being received by mobile units. Those same mobile units were transmitting replies. The mobile units were also spreading out. One group of signals was narrowing in on this location. Blackrock decided it was time to be elsewhere.

* * *

The Creeper went down and went down hard but it had still only taken Cassandra Cain two minutes to subdue him. Next she roused Card Queen and Inertia. Card Queen gazed at the Creeper with a decidedly _hungry_ look.

"Do we have to kill him?" Card Queen inquired, "He's kinda cute."

"You can keep him as a pet," Cassandra remarked. Truth was, if she'd wanted the Creeper dead, he would be so already. As part of her training, Cassandra had killed a target when she was eight years old and unarmed. She'd loathed her father ever since.

Until that moment, Cassandra had never heard a human voice. Not a single one. David Cain had raised her in utter silence. Body language was her lingua franca until then. She could often predict a person's action before they themselves were fully cognizant of them.

The Creeper had been harder. His actions and thoughts occurred simultaneously. Her usual skill set hadn't worked with him. But she'd been trained to near equality with Ra's al Ghul's finest assassin. Cassandra had only recently discovered that Lady Shiva was also her long lost mother. And as David had warned Cassandra, Lady Shiva wanted nothing to do with her.

Cassandra saw membership in the Injustice League as an opportunity to escape her father's grasp and make a life for herself. She just didn't know how or when yet. Her oblique thoughts were interrupted by her comm device sounding.

"Cassandra," he reported.

It was her father, "The OMACs have been deployed. Their ETA is ten minutes from now."

"Is that just my location or is it universal?" Cassandra wondered.

"Universal," David Cain replied, "Has your obstacle been cleared?"

"The Creeper has been neutralized," Cassandra fudged, "We are ready to deploy."

"Then do so and continue to terminate with extreme prejudice," David advised.

"Affirmative," Cassandra acknowledged the order she intended to disobey, "Have the OMACs been advised of our presence?"

"Yes, they are aware and will actively support by engaging the JLU in order to provide windows of opportunity," David explained, "Out."

Cassandra was always happiest when her father hung up on her. She turned to her teammates, "A squad of OMACs has been deployed. They will distract the JLU in order to provide our opportunities for elimination."

"What the hell is an 'OMAC'?" Inertia wanted to know.

"A One Man Army Corps unit. An entire squad of them has been dispatched to our location. They are specifically designed to deal with meta-human threats. That includes the members of the JLU," Cassandra tediously explained.

"Gotcha," Inertia grinned.

"Are we going straight to work?" Card Queen asked.

"I think we should assess the situation before mobilizing. After all, we didn't expect the Creeper's participation. He hasn't been active with the JLU for nearly two years," Cassandra suggested.

When they did begin their discreet assessment, they were glad they had heeded Cassandra's advice. More JLers had arrived.

* * *

Hal Jordan was impressed with the JLU group's overcoming difficulty. Of course, he ruefully accepted Dr. Light's having destroyed half a block. But the important thing was that everyone had survived. Even the Legionnaires.

* * *

Hawk filled his time with bellyaching that he'd missed all the action. Dove gave him a wry smile, "I'm sure more trouble is on its way. It always is."

"Yeah!" hawk enthused as he cheered up. Dove shook her head in astonishment

* * *

Nemesis gathered up Booster, Plastic Man and Batwing and began securing the Legionnaires as best they could. Nemesis had brought a duffel bag full of restraints. First every JLer had to report to him and designate where their opponents lay.

* * *

Galatea cauterized Batwoman's shoulder since it had begun to bleed profusely again. Batwoman was grateful but had certainly wished she could've had some pain meds first. Galatea joked that Batwoman had a sexy new scar to show off to Margo. Batwoman liked the sound of that.

Galatea was suddenly ensnared in a net laced with kryptonite. The JLU instantly went on alert as the OMACs arrived. That was when John remembered that Kevin Kho had deployed with them but hadn't returned from the fighting.

"Hold your fire!" Hal requested, "State your purpose."

"Our purpose is threat assessment and negation," the seeming OMAC leader stated.

"What is the threat?" Hal asked, "The Legion of Doom has been dealt with."

"The threat is the Justice League Unlimited," the OMAC declared, "Final sanction begins _now_!"


	22. Chapter 22

12 Justice League Convergence

Supreme threw a series of blows. He noted that Superman had been studying with Wildcat. The Kryptonian had his arms cradled next to his head to ward off the cascading blows. Supreme changed his strategy and hammered Superman's gut. He did so a second time and then a third.

Superman finally moved to protect his torso. Supreme landed a round kick on Superman's head. As Superman staggered, Supreme unloaded a left handed backhand. A right cross developed after this. Supreme then drove a knee into Superman's jaw.

Superman blindly lashed out with his heat vision. Supreme's nearly indestructible clothing sizzled. He chuckled, "So, you're almost ready to let it all go. Let's see if we can tip you over that precipice, shall we?"

Supreme bathed Superman in his own heat vision. Superman cried out in pain as his shirt and cape were incinerated. After Supreme let up on his assault, Superman was left standing bare chest and with burns blistering across his body.

Lashina came from behind Superman and cinched her whip around his throat. She energized it and drove Superman to his knees. She delightedly whispered in his ear.

"Wonder Woman was begging me for more by now," she purred, "Let's see if you give as well as she did."

Superman angrily grabbed hold of Lashina's head and threw her over his shoulder. As she landed on her back, he threw a right cross and then a left, "Shut up!"

Supreme swatted Superman aside, "Only I am allowed to hit Lashina. I know how she likes it. I can make her moan from the pain."

Lashina caressed Supreme's cheek, "Too true, lover."

He wrenched her arm around her back. She gasped in delight from the pain, "Yes! Hurt me more! You know how I want it!"

Superman thought that he might be sick. He barreled into Supreme. The Daxamite released Lashina. She rubbed her groin and groaned.

"He almost got me off that time," Lashina breathed, "Better luck next time."

Lashina began to laugh in delight as Supreme fought Superman. She dutifully noted that Superman's fighting style was cruder than ever. There was no technique, just rage. The plan was working after all.

She and Supreme were well aware of Vandal Savage's long term attack on Superman's mind. They were banking on that fact. Savage had suggested a plan of attack and so far it seemed to be one of pure genius.

* * *

Steel reached his weapons lab and entered in. John Henry Irons had created a world class corporate entity after being driven by his conscience out of LexCorp. In his other guise, Steel developed the most state of the art nonlethal weaponry ever devised. Only Batman seemed to be ahead of his curve.

Steel released his armor's clasps and seals and shrugged out of it. He had a heavy duty variant he wanted to try out. It needed a field test and he couldn't think of a better way to put it through its paces. No sooner had Steel sealed the armor and powered it up when the alarms went off.

He patched into the facility's security feeds and saw images of the Cyberpak narrowing his position down. The hapless guards were simply outclassed. Fortunately, the Cyberpak was slavishly devoted to its task of finding Steel. The guards' resistance efforts only resulted in minor injuries.

The Cyberpak knocked the door to Steel's lab down. Steel eschewed the more esoteric weaponry gathered around. He simply grabbed his sledgehammer and clubbed the cyber wolves to death. Truth be told, he wasn't even certain they were alive to begin with.

Steel exited the factory and flew back downtown. His sensors alerted him that he was approaching his target well before he could see them. He came to a landing before the roving trio.

Artemiz seemed to have assumed the leadership role. It made sense to Steel. She was probably the quickest thinker. They seemed to be headed for the gaping hold that lay above the subway tunnels.

Wunda reacted first. She sprinted towards Steel and flung herself at him. She bounced off and landed on her rear. She frowned and began to pout. Converting herself to energy, she tried to access Steel's systems.

But his prior experience with her powers had taught him a thing or two. He'd chosen this armor precisely because it was hardened against EMP and EM transmissions. Wunda transferred herself into electronics by converting herself into an electromagnetic signal that the devices received. She then used her thoughts to direct the possessed device as though it were in its operational system lingua fraca.

But Steel's armor didn't allow reception of any signals he didn't authorize. Now Wunda was going to learn about his countermeasures. He disrupted her energy form with his burst transmitters. She returned to her physical state and passed out.

"Oho! Metal boy thinks he's smart! Eat this!" Speed Queen rattled off in a span of a few seconds. She began to race around Steel almost as fast as the Flash could travel. He then clotheslined her face with his hammer. Speed Queen went down without a further sound.

"I see your new suit augments your reflexes as well," Artemiz observed, "Tell me, did you kill my pups?"

Noting she already had an arrow nocked in her bow and drawn to fire, Steel tried to distract her with the truth; "They died obeying your orders."

Artemiz smiled as she took aim, "Silly human. The Cyberpak isn't dead. They're just moving into other carcasses to inhabit."

She fired before he could respond. As Steel suspected, she favored shots to the eye. This time her arrow bounced off of his ocular piece.

Artemiz frowned, "Well, this could prove problematic."

She drew another arrow from her quiver almost as fast as Speed Queen ran laps. She fired at the shoulder seam of his armor. It too was reinforced. The only reason Steel hadn't switched to this suit full time already was because it was exceptionally heavy. The power required to drive the mobility systems drained the power core within a few hours. Combat expenditures only exacerbated that fact.

"Better luck next time," Steel said simply. His concussion blasters battered Artemiz until she too was unconscious.

Steel began surveying the area. He tapped into his onboard signal device and located all of his teammates. He had a feeling they were in various degrees of trouble. So he set out. Starting with that troublesome hole that led into the Underground.

* * *

Gilotina swiped at Supergirl with one hand while holding her second blade in reserve. Kara jumped back and then charged into the second arc at super speed. She caught Gilotina's left hand and twisted the sword from its grasp. Gilotina brought up her right but Kara blocked the swipe at the wrist and punched Gilotina in the mouth.

The Female Fury stumbled back. Kara adjusted her grip on the captured sword. Gilotina was astonished.

"You're actually going to fight me with a _sword_?" Gilotina asked incredulously.

Kara shrugged, "Seems fair."

"Your funeral, honey buns," Gilotina chuckled. She came at Supergirl with all of the venom and fury she could channel.

Kara wasn't proficient with a sword by any means. Gilotina was the undisputed master of that art. But Supergirl had strength and speed on her side. Even when she misjudged a strike, she could deflect it enough to escape harm. She was also a fast learner.

Kara knocked Gilotina's remaining sword out of her grasp. Gilotina dropped a flash bomb that temporarily blinded Kara. Gilotina went for her lost sword but Supergirl honed in on the sound of movement and nearly took Gilotina's head off, blind or not.

As Kara's vision quickly recovered, she noticed Gilotina was missing. Looking around, she saw Gilotina sprinting to Malice Vundabar's side. Supergirl suddenly knew what was about to happen but she found she wanted it too.

* * *

White Lantern, as Kyle preferred to think of himself now, kept Chessure reeling with the indescribable White Light of Life. Such a thing was the antithesis of the shadow demon. It whimpered and began to back away.

Malice screamed in outrage and rushed towards White Lantern. He blocked her with a simple barrier construct. But he didn't apprehend her.

So Malice sprinted away. Kyle saw that she and Gilotina were on a collision course. Malice pulled open a boom tube controller and opened the spatial rift. She turned back to Chessure.

"Come Chessy, come!" Malice and Gilotina ran into the tube with Chessure bounding behind them. The tube collapsed and Kara and Kyle were left with Spencer Hawk's prone form.

"Way to stop them, Rayner," Kara jibed.

"I didn't see you shuffling your feet at super speed, In-Ze," Kyle retorted back.

"Why don't you gather your playmate and follow me to the surface?" Supergirl suggested.

White Lantern scooped the renegade Green Lantern up with a construct, "Lead on, fair maiden."

"Hah!" Kara snorted.

When they reached the surface, Steel had just reached the opening. Steel nodded their way, "Just him?"

"Long story," Supergirl replied.

"What happened to your uniform?" Steel asked Kyle.

"And how long will it last?" Kara wondered.

"First off, it's happened before," White Lantern looked to Supergirl, "As _you_ very well now. As far as how long? I guess until the Entity asks me to step down again."

"The who?" Steel asked. He was getting confused and neither Kyle nor Kara were handing out straight answers.

"Look, a being called the Entity creates White Lanterns just like the Guardians of the Universe create Green Lanterns," Kyle offered as an explanation, "I recently discovered I had the ability to harness all eight emotional spectrums so I was chosen as a White Lantern. Follow me?"

"Nope," Steel admitted, "But that's okay. I have a reading on some JLers that might need help. Interested in helping out?"

"Point the way!" Kara enthused.

* * *

Silver Sorceress crumpled as Kestrel pulled her sword free. She's come under the rib cage and stabbed upward. Given the similarities between human and Thanagarian physiologies, the thrust should have stabbed the infernal Silver Sorceress' heart.

Blue Jay went mad from grief. He lunged at Kestrel and lifted her into the air by grasping her arms. Kestrel was delighted by this move. She employed her wings and added to the lift. Blue Jay had already proven to be her inferior in the air. He would soon be joining his beloved Silver Sorceress as a fatality.

Kestrel beat her wings against Blue Jay's momentum. Soon, she was pushing him back. Canting her wings, she angled into a dive. But in order to compete with Blue Jay's flying abilities, she had to maintain her efforts.

Thanagarians were creatures of the air but they were also primarily gliders. They soared for hours whilst seeking and pursuing prey. Sustained flapping wore a Thanagarian down. It affected the back and shoulders as well as the flight muscles. So the longer she fought Blue Jay this way the weaker she would become.

But she didn't care. She could taste his death on her tongue and she savored the flavor. They collided with the ground. Kestrel was ready for the impact, Blue Jay wasn't. He was insensate while she was up on her haunches straddling Blue Jay with her sword poised to plunge into his chest. A white battering ram knocked her off of Blue Jay.

"Stand down, Kestrel," White Lantern advised.

"Go to hell!" Kestrel snarled.

Kyle created a pretty white bird cage around Kestrel. She screamed Thanagarian obscenities as she pounded at the bars with her blade. Kyle's ring detected Silver Sorceress' distress. He also detected that she was permeated with the White Light. It was probably the only reason she wasn't already dead. As it was, she was still slipping away and hanging by a glimmer.

White Lantern bathed Silver Sorceress in the Light of Life. It nourished her and her body healed at a fantastic rate. Silver Sorceress suddenly opened her eyes with a gasp. She wondered how she'd ended up on her face.

As she lifted herself, the blood pooled on the ground told the story. She saw, and heard, Kestrel in the cage and Silver Sorceress grimaced, "I'd nearly forgotten. Now I wish I had."

"Welcome back," Kyle said jovially.

"You harness the White Light too," Silver Sorceress realized, "How is that possible?"

"I can actually harness _all_ the emotional spectrums. The Entity just chose me to be a White Lantern again," Kyle confessed.

"Where's Blue Jay?" Silver Sorceress was suddenly alarmed.

"Over there," Kyle pointed.

Silver Sorceress granted Blue Jay a small infusion of power. He opened his eyes and they were suddenly filled with delight, "Laura! You're alive!"

"I wouldn't have been if it weren't for Kyle," she admitted, "But now he's no longer a Green Lantern. He's calling himself a White Lantern. He taps into the same source that I derive my spells from."

Kestrel suddenly roared her victory as her Nth metal sword cut through the cage's bars. Her chest was heaving and her breath was ragged as she studied her potential foes. She kicked off and beat her wings to fly away.

"I'll get her," Blue Jay offered.

"No, I don't think so. I think she's done and we have other concerns," White Lantern surmised.

"We'll come with you," Silver Sorceress decided for the pair of them. Blue Jay just grinned his agreement.

* * *

Cheetah was literally tearing Crimson Fox apart one scratch at a time. Crimson Fox's heart leapt with joy as Supergirl pulled Cheetah off of her by the scruff of the neck. Cheetah yowled and Supergirl wore a slight smirk.

"Hold on," Supergirl asked of Crimson Fox. She then hauled Cheetah over the side of the building and dropped out of sight.

Crimson Fox went to the roof's edge and saw Supergirl toss Cheetah into the dumpster below. Kara welded the dumpster shut with her heat vision. She then returned to Crimson Fox's side.

"Must be nice to be perfect," Crimson Fox wryly commented.

"Oh, I don't know. You and your sister do a pretty good job of it," Kara grinned.

Crimson Fox's eyes went wide with horror, "You know?"

"Uh huh," Kara almost laughed, "I also know all about your pheromone loads. It's kinda naughty how you two spin the guys up, don'cha think?"

"Why haven't you said anything to anyone?" Crimson asked with a great deal of suspicion.

"You two want to take turns playing super hero and God knows what else? Fine. Everyone deserves a day off. You get the job done. So I leave you alone," Supergirl admitted.

"Thank you…I think," Crimson Fox allowed.

"Look, you're a mess. I know someone that can take care of those wounds. Are you game?" Supergirl asked.

"Certainly," Crimson Fox replied.

So they went in search of White Lantern.

* * *

Steel followed his signal device tracker to an office building. Animal Man was emerging from the tower. His shoulder was wounded and he was covered in a lot of blood.

"Do you need medical attention?" Steel asked him.

"The shoulder's just a flesh wound. It's pretty well taken care of itself," Animal Man replied.

"But that's a lot of blood," Steel remarked.

"Most of it isn't mine," Animal Man said nonchalantly.

Steel read a lot between the lines and he didn't like the script.

* * *

Black Vulcan unloaded a stream of electricity at Bronze Tiger. Sir Justin's sword acted like a lightning rod. Bronze Tiger didn't last long under the barrage.

Black Vulcan managed to revive the Shining Knight. Sir Justin ruefully thanked Black Vulcan, "My thanks to thee. Thou art my intended savior on this fair day."

"Just doing my job, pal," Black Vulcan assured him. He checked his signal device, "Samurai is checking on your friend, Vigilante. Want to check up on the checker upper?"

"Yea, verily," Sir Justin agreed as he sheathed his sword, "Let us set out and dispatch the enemy."

* * *

Deadshot explored the ground floor of the department store. He used his infrared scope built into his helmet to look for heat signatures. He decided to unsafe his wrist guns just in case.

Deadshot's primary weapon was an H&K MP5-3A submachine gun. He had two spare, thirty round magazines for it besides the one currently feeding the weapon. One magazine had full metal jackets and the other armor piercing loads.

A hyperkinetic round suddenly slammed into Deadshot's armored chest like a freight train. Deadshot was thrown backwards into a display case. He dropped the MP5 along the way. A second hyperkinetic round struck the submachine gun at the ejection port.

Now the gun was ruined. It couldn't eject spent casings anymore and would jam. Deadshot appreciated Vigilante's strategy. By reducing him to his fallback weapons, Vigilante was ensuring that the next fight would be a close quarter's affair.

His wrist guns were short range weapons. They possessed little more range than a handgun. Each possessed a twenty round magazine of .25 caliber bullets. The round was so small, with such little stopping power; it had largely gone out of vogue.

Deadshot snorted. James Bond had carried a .25 Beretta before switching to the infamous Walther PPK. Deadshot carried two spare magazines. One for each wrist. So he had eighty bullets. How hard could it be to kill one lone cowboy?

As hard as Deadshot had been hit by Vigilante, Vigilante had been blasted by an exploding car. He had to still be feeling the aftereffects. Frankly, Deadshot didn't care how he won as long as he won. Unless of course Vigilante got the drop on him and punched his ticket. He could settle for that.

Deadshot approached Vigilante's estimated position only to find the area deserted. A stairwell and an elevator were nearby. Deadshot took the stairs. When Deadshot reached the second floor, he found Vigilante out in the open, waiting for him.

Vigilante seemed poised for an Old West shoot out. Deadshot decided to oblige him. He started to raise both his arms but Vigilante's hyperkinetic round hit him like a freight train before he was even halfway close to aiming.

Deadshot tumbled down the stairs. He pushed off and slid down the second bank of stairs while keeping both arms aimed at the spot where he'd descended from. Only…there was no Vigilante.

Deadshot woozily got onto one knee and kept his aim at the stairs. The elevator chimed and he swung one arm that way. But no one exited.

Deadshot was so distracted he barely noticed the clumping of boots on the stairs. Vigilante emptied one revolver into Deadshot. Deadshot lay on his back and groaned afterwards.

Knowing Deadshot had at least a few cracked ribs, if not a broken sternum as well, Vigilante eased up a bit. He used his other revolver to crack Deadshot's wrist guns. He then began to reload one pistol at a time while Deadshot blissfully passed out.

This was how Samurai found him, "Are you all right, Vigilante?"

"A little banged up and worse for the wear but otherwise okay. How `bout you, pard?" Vigilante replied affably.

"I am well," Samurai assured him, "It appears are comrades are beginning to reunite. Would you care to join them?"

"Shore. This skunk ain't goin' nowhere," Vigilante holstered the gun he'd been reloading, "Let's shake a leg."

"Why would we do that?" Samurai wondered.

"How long you been outta Japan?" Vigilante wondered.

"Ten years now," Samurai informed him.

"An' no one's ever told ya to shake a leg?" Vigilante complained, "Now that's a crime Ah'm happy to rectify."

"Are we going now?" Samurai redirected Vigilante.

"`Course, just gatherin' mah thoughts. That's all,"" Vigilante assured him. They set out after that.

* * *

Apache Chief still battled Bane…if it could be called a battle. Apache Chief was constantly shifting his molecular density. Bane couldn't land a blow. But Apache Chief had landed over a dozen devastating strike.

Finally, now that Bane was practically foaming at the mouth with rage, Apache Chief moved in to wrestle him to the ground. Bane seemed to have the advantage in strength but Apache Chief didn't need brute strength. He had leverage. And he used it to choke Bane into submission.

As the Native American hero moved away from the unconscious Bane, Black Vulcan, Samurai, Vigilante, and the Shining Knight approached. Black Vulcan grinned at his friend, "Way to go, man!"

"Thank you," Apache Chief replied with his usual stoicism.

"One of these days I'm gonna get under your skin and make you boogie," Black Vulcan warned.

Apache Chief grimaced, "I hope not. Why are you all gathered here? Is the threat over?"

"We do not know, Apache Chief," Samurai admitted, "But the rest of our team is gathering at Superman and Wonder Woman's location. Perhaps we should as well?"

"We should," Apache Chief set out in the appropriate direction.

"Who died and made him the Great Spirit?" Vigilante wondered.


End file.
